According to the Council for Medical Schemes, 84% of South Africans currently rely on a struggling public healthcare system. What they experience as a result of this pressured system includes
- chronic staff shortages and long waiting times at clinics,
- shortages of equipment, medicine, and consumables,
- a lack of reliable ambulance services, and
- eroding quality of care.
In the 2023 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report: Trust and Health, lower income employees have reported poorer health compared to higher income earners. In addition, and according to the same survey, lower-income earners have also indicated that they look to their employers to do the right thing when it comes to addressing their health-related needs and concerns.
How do employees view their health?
It’s clear from the same research conducted by Edelman that employees consider health beyond only the physical definition. 66% of respondents to the survey indicated that they view mental, physical, social and community health as equal dimensions of their own holistic health.
How does this impact employers?
Considering this broader definition of health – coupled with the population’s reliance on an over-burdened public healthcare system – businesses are significantly impacted by the following:
- Employee absenteeism due to ill-health.
- Employees taking time off work to visit clinics that often have long waiting times.
- A significant loss of productivity.
- Employees getting into debt to pay for doctor visits or hospital costs.
- Employees leaving their jobs to access retirement savings to pay for major healthcare expenses.
The role of health insurance in South Africa’s primary care landscape
Providing health insurance to low-income earners offers employers significant productivity benefits. In addition, health insurance allows these employees to see a doctor in private practice, receive the medication they require, and return to work in a relatively short timeframe, avoiding the long waiting times at public clinics and better quality of care.
Old Mutual’s Health Solutions offering includes primary care health insurance, underwritten and administered by GENRIC. GENRIC is a licensed non-life insurer within the Old Mutual group of companies. GENRIC is a leading provider of both “off-the-shelf” and tailor-made solutions to corporate employers who are looking to provide both primary and tertiary healthcare benefits for their employees. As such, GENRIC plays a vital role in ensuring that low-income earners have improved access to quality private healthcare.
The primary care offering
These solutions aim to provide high-quality healthcare solutions to employees and members via their employers and work-related groups. Employees will be able to access quality primary care services and accident and illness hospitalisation in a private hospital.
The following options are available:
How to sell Old Mutual Health Solutions to your clients
The infographic below outlines important information for brokers in offering Old Mutual Health Solutions to their clients.
For more information, please contact omhealthsolutions@oldmutual.com or 011-217 1969
Old Mutual Life Assurance Company (SA) Limited is a licensed FSP and life insurer. This product is underwritten and administered by GENRIC Insurance Company Limited, a licensed non-life insurer and an authorised Financial Service Provider (FSP: 43638). National Health Group (Pty) Ltd (2015/130345/07), a registered Managed Care Organisation (MCO110) and Administrator (ADMIN72), is contracted to provide administration and managed care services. This is not a medical scheme, and the cover is not the same as that of a medical scheme. This Policy is not a substitute for a medical scheme membership. Premiums are subject to an annual review. Terms and Conditions apply.