Cape Medical Plan (CMP Medical Aid): 2026 options and who it suits

CMP suits people who want a straightforward hospital-led plan, or a hospital plan with a modest savings account, and who want to keep free choice of doctor and specialist. It is self-administered: CMP runs its operations in-house from one office in Tygervalley, Cape Town, and it says claims are settled within two weeks. That suits people who like dealing with one office and not a national call centre.

It is not for everyone. With only two options there is no low-cost network plan and no comprehensive plan with large day-to-day limits. Hospital cover is limited to three hospital groups, and CMP does not publish a member count, so we cannot tell you how large it is. It also does not suit someone who needs a big day-to-day benefit: neither option is built for it.

• Open scheme: the CMS register lists Cape Medical Plan as OPEN (registration number 1034), and CMP takes membership applications from individuals, families, small businesses and corporate groups. (medicalschemes.co.za)
• The CMS register at 31 March 2025 lists Cape Medical Plan as an OPEN scheme, and the CMS's accreditation table lists it among the schemes providing their own managed care services. (medicalschemes.co.za)
• For 2026 CMP sells exactly two options, MyHealth 100 Saver and MyHealth 200, each at a flat adult rate with no income bands. (cmp.co.za)
• Both options give hospital cover at Life Health, Mediclinic or Netcare hospitals with a doctor or specialist of the member's choice. (cmp.co.za)
• CMP was established in 1961 and describes itself as a mutual society; 2026 is presented as its 65th year. (cmp.co.za)
• CMP states that claims are settled within two weeks. (cmp.co.za)
• On MyHealth 100 Saver, laparoscopic and endoscopic procedures carry a co-payment of R1 500 per scope used, per procedure. (cmp.co.za)
• MyHealth 200 covers one GP consultation per beneficiary per year at 100% of the CMP tariff. (cmp.co.za)
• Emergency admissions still need authorisation, which must be requested within 72 hours of the incident. (cmp.co.za)
• CMP is a registered medical scheme, registration number 1034, and its complaints process gives a written reply within 30 days before a member can go to the CMS. (cmp.co.za)

CMP Medical Aid (Cape Medical Plan) publishes 2 benefit options for 2026. Prices are the monthly contribution for a main member as published by Cape Medical Plan, and income-banded plans show the band. Adult and child dependants pay extra. Checked on 29 September 2026.

Sources: cmp.co.za/...ealth_100_Saver_Brochure.pdf, cmp.co.za/...26_MyHealth_200_Brochure.pdf.

The price for both options is a flat rate, and principal members and adult dependants pay the same. See the plans table on this page. Read the hospital plan explained guide and our hospital plan vs comprehensive comparison to see whether a hospital-led plan fits your needs.

MyHealth 200 pays for one GP consultation per beneficiary per year at 100% of the CMP tariff. Anything more is for your own pocket, so keep some cash aside for routine visits.

Checked on 29 September 2026 against Cape Medical Plan'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: cmp.co.za/contact-us, cmp.co.za/resources/pre-authorisation. All schemes' numbers are on our medical aid contact numbers page.

Both options use the same hospital groups: Life Health, Mediclinic and Netcare. Planned admissions need pre-authorisation, which you can request by phone or WhatsApp on weekdays in office hours. On MyHealth 100 Saver, laparoscopic and endoscopic procedures carry a co-payment of R1 500 per scope used, per procedure, so ask about it before booking. See our co-payments and sub-limits guide.

Emergency admissions still need authorisation, which must be requested within 72 hours of the incident. CMP publishes no ambulance provider or ambulance number. Its authorisations WhatsApp line is described as a benefits advice line in an emergency and is explicitly not an ambulance number. In an emergency, call your usual emergency services first. Read our emergency and ambulance cover guide.

On MyHealth 100 Saver the medical savings account is pre-funded: R4 560 per adult and R720 per minor beneficiary. Before the savings are touched, members get up to 4 GP visits per minor and 2 per adult a year. Once savings and visits are used up, day-to-day costs are yours. Unused savings rules differ between schemes, so ask how CMP treats them at year end and if you leave. Our medical savings account guide explains the general rules.

MyHealth 200 has no savings account and only limited day-to-day cover, so routine care beyond the one GP consultation is largely for your own pocket. That is our reading of CMP's brochures, so confirm it with the scheme.

MyHealth 200 includes chronic medication cover, and CMP has a dedicated chronic medicine authorisation line, listed in the contact table. If you have a chronic condition, apply for authorisation before you rely on any benefit.

CMP is a registered scheme, so both options must pay PMBs in full, without co-payment or deductible, at a designated service provider. That is a legal floor, and it does not turn a hospital plan into a comprehensive one. See prescribed minimum benefits.

We could not verify maternity benefits, waiting periods for pregnancy, or limits for either option. Ask CMP in writing before you rely on them, and see our medical aid for pregnancy guide.

For 2026 CMP sells exactly the two options above, each with a flat adult rate. It has not published a 2026 or 2027 average increase, and the site had no 2027 announcement when we checked. Its plan pages need JavaScript to show a price, so read contributions from the plans table on this page or from CMP's 2026 brochures.

For context, the CMS recommended in Circular 20 of 2026 that 2027 increases be anchored at 3.8%. That is a benchmark, not a hard cap, and the CMS acknowledges that private medical inflation typically runs 2 to 3 percentage points above CPI. See our 2027 increases page.

• Bestmed: an open scheme, described by itself as the largest self-administered scheme in South Africa, with a much wider range of plans. See Bestmed.
• Fedhealth: a not-for-profit open scheme with a range from network hospital plans to executive plans. See Fedhealth.
• Medihelp: an open scheme with more options at more price points. See Medihelp.

The trade-off is choice against range. CMP gives you free choice of doctor on two simple options, while larger schemes give you network plans and bigger day-to-day cover. Our best medical aid page sets out the wider field.

Gap cover, sometimes bought alongside a hospital plan, is health insurance and not a medical scheme. Complaints about it go to the National Financial Ombud, not the CMS. See gap cover explained.

CMP takes membership applications from individuals, families, small businesses and corporate groups. As an open scheme it cannot refuse you on age or health, but waiting periods can apply. The Medical Schemes Act sets the ceilings. If you have had no cover for 90 days or more, or have never had cover, a scheme may impose a general waiting period of up to three months and a condition-specific waiting period of up to 12 months. These are maximums, and a scheme may impose shorter periods or none. Switching within 90 days does not wipe waiting periods out: after up to 24 months of earlier cover the new scheme may still impose a condition-specific period of up to 12 months, and after more than 24 months it may still impose a general period of up to three months. Neither can be applied to treatment of Prescribed Minimum Benefits (PMBs). There is no waiting period when you move between options on the same scheme, or for a baby born while you are a member. Read more in waiting periods and exclusions.

Late-joiner penalties. A late joiner is someone aged 35 or older when they apply, without earlier cover. The loading is a percentage of that adult's own part of the contribution only, and the maximum depends on the years you were uncovered after 35, less any years of cover you can prove: 1 to 4 years is 5%, 5 to 14 years is 25%, 15 to 24 years is 50% and 25 years or more is 75%. Example: a 45-year-old with no proof of earlier cover has 10 years to count (45 minus 35), which falls in the 5 to 14 year band, so the maximum loading is 25%. A sworn affidavit can prove earlier cover if the documents are gone, and the penalty can follow you to another scheme. See the late joiner penalty guide.

Tax credit. For the 2026/27 tax year (1 March 2026 to 28 February 2027) the medical scheme fees tax credit is R376 a month for you, R752 a month for you and one dependant together, and R254 a month for each additional dependant. It only reduces the tax you owe and cannot be carried over. Details are in the medical aid tax credit guide.

Complaints. If something goes wrong, raise it with CMP first and keep a written record. CMP has a complaints email address, and it says its own process gives a written reply within 30 days. If you are not satisfied after using the scheme's own complaints process, you can complain to the Council for Medical Schemes (CMS), the regulator. Send a completed complaint form with proof that you took it up with the scheme to [email protected], or phone the CMS on 0861 123 267 (Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 16:30). The CMS acknowledges a complaint in writing within 6 working days, asks the scheme to comment, and aims to finish within 120 calendar days of receiving the scheme's response and documents. Clinically urgent complaints are handled urgently. Our CMS complaints guide explains each step.