Bonitas Medical Fund 2026: plans, benefits, the Momentum Health move and who it suits

Bonitas suits people who want a large open scheme with a plan at almost every price point, including an income-based option for lower earners. It is a reasonable fit if you are comfortable using a hospital network in exchange for a lower contribution, or if you want a savings plan and would rather pay GP visits from your own savings.

It suits you less well if you want one flat price regardless of income (the income-based BonCap is the only plan priced that way), or if you cannot risk service delays. The 2026 administrator move caused real disruption, and although Bonitas has published recovery figures, you should ask how your own claims and authorisations have gone before you commit.

Bonitas is not restricted to a particular employer or profession, so there is no eligibility test beyond paying the contribution. Waiting periods and late joiner penalties still apply, and are covered below.

• Bonitas Medical Fund is an open medical scheme, described by itself as the second largest open scheme in South Africa; administration moved from Medscheme to Momentum Health on 1 June 2026. (bonitas.co.za)
• 2026 contribution increase: 8.8% average across all plans for 2026 (certain strategic options kept below this level). (moneyweb.co.za)
• From 1 June 2026 Bonitas moved scheme administration from Medscheme to Momentum Health, with Private Healthcare Administrators (PHA) doing managed care; the scheme says membership numbers, benefits and networks are unchanged and call centre numbers stay the same. (bonitas.co.za)
• Bonitas publicly apologised on 27 July 2026 for service disruption after the administrator transition (delays in authorisations, claims and enquiries) and published progress figures such as 96% of authorisations finalised within turnaround time. (bonitas.co.za)
• BonCore is a new 2026 network hospital plan priced at R1 275 per beneficiary, the same rate for main member, adult and child dependants. (moneyweb.co.za)
• Two new options for 2026: BonCore and BonPrime. (moneyweb.co.za)
• BonCap is the income-based option with four income bands: R0 to R11 930, R11 931 to R19 350, R19 351 to R25 170 and R25 171+. (bonitas.co.za)
• Bonitas reported 2025 results with a R1.8 billion surplus, a solvency ratio of 36,9% (regulatory minimum 25%) and an AA+ credit rating; membership grew for the third consecutive year. (bonitas.co.za)
• The 2026 Benefit Booster offers up to R5 000 in extra benefits on some plans and members must complete a wellness screening to access it. (moneyweb.co.za)
• BonCap and BonCore members have separate walk-in centres and a separate general-queries line (0861 239 333) from all other plans (0860 002 108). (bonitas.co.za)

Bonitas Medical Fund publishes 16 benefit options for 2026. Prices are the monthly contribution for a main member as published by Bonitas, and income-banded plans show the band. Adult and child dependants pay extra. Checked on 29 September 2026.

Sources: bonitas.co.za/our-plans-2026.

Bonitas groups its 2026 plans under five headings on its own site. The headings are useful because they tell you how the plan pays for day-to-day care.

BonPrime and BonCore are new for 2026. BonCap and BonCore have their own guide: see Bonitas BonCap and BonCore explained. For the wider picture of hospital-only cover, read the hospital plans guide.

Checked on 29 September 2026 against Bonitas's official website. Numbers change, so confirm on the linked page before you call. A scheme will not ask you to pay into a new bank account over the phone: hang up and call the official number if anything feels off.

Sources: bonitas.co.za/support, bonitas.co.za/...d-strengthening-your-service, medicalschemes.co.za/pmb. All schemes' numbers are on our medical aid contact numbers page.

Most Bonitas plans have a hospital network, and using a hospital outside it can cost you. The exact rules by plan, as Bonitas publishes them for 2026:

• BonStart: unlimited hospital cover at the applicable network, with a R1 850 co-payment per admission (except PMB emergencies) and unlimited network GP visits at R130 per visit.
• BonStart Plus: the same structure with a R1 240 co-payment per admission and R75 per GP visit.
• Hospital Standard: a 30% co-payment if you use a non-network hospital.
• BonCap: unlimited hospital cover at a BonCap network hospital, with a 30% co-payment at a non-network hospital.
• Savings plans, Primary, Standard Select and BonEssential: hospital cover is unlimited but a network applies. BonComprehensive's plan table carries no network wording.

Emergencies are different. Under the regulations, prescribed minimum benefit (PMB) emergency treatment must be paid in full, and the Council for Medical Schemes says you may go to the nearest facility in an emergency even if it is not a scheme provider. Read pre-authorisation and designated service providers before a planned admission.

How day-to-day care is paid is the main difference between plans that look similar on price.

• Standard and Primary pay GP and specialist visits from sublimits, not from a savings account.
• BonPrime, BonFit and BonSave pay GP visits from your available savings.
• BonComplete and BonComprehensive pay day-to-day from savings and/or an above threshold benefit. BonClassic pays day-to-day from savings.
• BonCore funds GP consultations, with virtual-first primary care.

For 2026 Bonitas also runs a Benefit Booster worth up to R5 000 in extra benefits on some plans. You must complete a wellness screening to reach it, so check that your plan is one of those that carries it.

A savings account is your own money set aside inside the scheme, so what you do not spend stays available to you. If you are unsure how that differs from a risk benefit, see medical savings accounts and day-to-day benefits.

Every registered scheme, Bonitas included, must pay for prescribed minimum benefits in full. The Council for Medical Schemes describes PMBs as 271 medical conditions plus 26 chronic conditions on the Chronic Disease List. Regulation 8 says PMB costs must be paid without co-payment or deductible, but a scheme may require you to use its designated service provider, and can charge a co-payment if you choose another provider voluntarily.

What each Bonitas plan pays beyond that, such as extra chronic conditions, medicine limits and maternity benefits, is set in the plan's own benefit guide and differs a lot between plans. We have not verified plan-level limits, so we do not list them here. Before you join, ask for the guide for your plan and check your condition and medicine by name. Our chronic disease benefits guide and maternity checklist list what to ask.

Administrator. From 1 June 2026 Momentum Health took over scheme administration after Medscheme had done it for over four decades, and Private Healthcare Administrators took over managed care. Bonitas says members keep the same membership number, benefits and networks and that call centre numbers stayed the same.

Service. On 27 July 2026 Bonitas publicly apologised for difficulties during the transition and reported progress, including 96% of authorisations finalised within turnaround time. It also set up an escalation channel for life-threatening or clinically urgent access-to-care problems (see the contact table below). If a claim or authorisation is stuck, keep dates and reference numbers.

Contributions. For 2026, contributions rose by 8.8% on average across all plans, with some strategic options kept below that. For 2027 Bonitas had not announced its increases when we checked on 29 September 2026. The Council for Medical Schemes has asked schemes to anchor 2027 increases at 3.8%, but that is a benchmark, not a cap. Follow the latest on our 2027 increases page.

Finances. Bonitas reported a R1.8 billion surplus for 2025, a solvency ratio of 36,9% against the 25% legal minimum, and an AA+ credit rating, as its own release states.

Contribution increases are one clear way to compare schemes. These are the 2026 announced increases in an Alexforbes analysis reported in October 2025:

The averages hide big differences between plans, so compare the plan you would actually buy.

• Momentum Medical Scheme is the closest like-for-like. Its Ingwe option is also income-based, and Momentum Health now administers both schemes, though they remain separate schemes with separate rules.
• Discovery Health offers a similar spread of plans and its KeyCare plans are also income-linked.
• Bestmed is self-administered and prices its Rhythm options by income.

On cost alone, read how much medical aid costs and check whether you can claim the medical scheme fees tax credit: R376 a month for you, R376 for the first dependant and R254 for each further dependant in the 2026/27 tax year. See the tax credit guide.

You can join through bonitas.co.za, the Bonitas app or a registered broker. As an open scheme Bonitas must enrol anyone who applies and can pay, but it can apply waiting periods. Under section 29A of the Medical Schemes Act:

• If you have had no cover for at least 90 days, a scheme may impose a general waiting period of up to three months and a condition-specific waiting period of up to 12 months.
• If you had cover for up to 24 months and the gap was under 90 days, only a condition-specific waiting period of up to 12 months may apply.
• If you had cover for more than 24 months and the gap was under 90 days, only a general waiting period of up to three months may apply.
• PMB treatment is not subject to the shorter-gap waiting periods.

These are maximums, and a scheme can charge less. A late joiner penalty applies if you are 35 or older when you apply and have not been covered continuously (people covered continuously since before 1 April 2001 are excluded). The penalty is a percentage on your own portion of the contribution. For example, a 45-year-old with no proven previous cover works out at 10 years, which falls in the 5 to 14 year band, so the maximum load is 25%. Read the late joiner guide and waiting periods guide before you apply.

Start with Bonitas. Use the general queries line for your plan, and if a matter is clinically urgent use the escalation channel Bonitas set up. Keep your reference numbers, dates and a short written summary.

If the internal process does not resolve it, the Council for Medical Schemes can take the complaint. The CMS says you should first use the scheme's own dispute process, then send a completed complaint form with proof of your earlier escalation. It acknowledges complaints in writing within six working days. Our complaints guide has the steps, and the contact numbers hub lists the numbers.

Gap cover and other health insurance are not medical scheme benefits, so complaints about them go to the National Financial Ombud, not the CMS. See gap cover explained.