Medical aid increases for 2027: what has been announced so far

This is the position we could confirm on 29 September 2026. "Not announced" means we found no 2027 contribution announcement on the scheme's site or in news searches. It does not prove the scheme has said nothing.

The big open schemes that had not announced are Discovery, Bonitas, Momentum, Bestmed and Medihelp. The largest restricted scheme, GEMS, had not either.

Medshield announced its 2027 options and contributions with a 7.9% weighted average increase. The figure comes from media reports of the announcement. Reports of how many members get lower increases differ, so we do not quote that range. Medshield also says the child dependant age rises from 21 to 24 on all options. Individual plans rise by different amounts, so read your own line.

These are main-member prices as published on medshield.co.za. Check your dependants' rates with the scheme.

Fedhealth was the first scheme to publish 2027 contributions, on 15 September 2026. Risk-benefit limits and savings allocations rise 3.9%. Fedhealth says 60% of its members will see an average weighted increase of 8.9%, and it has not stated an average for the scheme as a whole.

A third-party broker analysis (Curemed, 29 September 2026) says some flexiFED and Executive options rise by up to 13.5%. That is not an official Fedhealth statement, so check the rates for your own plan on the scheme's site. We leave out Fedhealth plans whose 2026 price we could not verify.

In Circular 20 of 2026, dated 31 July 2026, the CMS recommended that 2027 contribution increases and cost assumptions be anchored at 3.8%, with any extra provision for solvency supported by each scheme's financial position. The 3.8% is aligned with the South African Reserve Bank's July 2026 projection that headline inflation will average 3.8% in 2027 and 3.1% in 2028. The CMS also recommended that managed care and administration fees rise by no more than 3.8%.

The 3.8% is a benchmark, not a hard cap. A scheme that needs more must submit a business plan with financial and actuarial justification, and the Registrar may ask for a second independent actuarial opinion. The CMS itself notes that private medical inflation generally exceeds CPI by between 2 and 3 percentage points. Read Circular 20 of 2026 on the CMS site.

For 2026 the CMS had recommended a limit of 3.3% plus reasonable utilisation estimates (Circular 24 of 2025). Schemes then announced the averages below. One analysis by Alexforbes put the average for the top open schemes at 8.8% when inflation was 3.4%.

In Circular 21 of 2026, dated 12 August 2026, the CMS put the industry-weighted overall contribution increase assumption for 2026 at 8.10%, made up of 6.84% for open schemes and 9.44% for restricted schemes. That is an assumption taken from scheme submissions, not a measured average of what members actually paid. Discovery's April start meant its members paid 2025-level contributions from January to March 2026.

1. Wait for your own plan's figure. Averages hide wide differences: Fedhealth's two new sureFED plans are at 0% while myFED is at 8%.
2. Compare options inside your scheme. There is no waiting period when you change options within the same scheme, unless a waiting period is still running on your current option. Fedhealth also lets members move up an option at any time within 30 days of a diagnosis or life event.
3. Consider a network or hospital plan. A cheaper option with gap cover can cost less than a comprehensive plan. See our hospital plans guide and network vs traditional plans.
4. Check the cost of switching schemes. The CMS Open Season 2026 note advises finalising switch decisions by late November or early December, and checking for late-joiner penalties and waiting periods first. If you have had cover for more than 24 months and the gap is under 90 days, a scheme may impose only a general waiting period of up to three months, not for PMB treatment. See how to change medical aid, the waiting periods guide and the late joiner penalty guide.
5. Budget with the tax credit. For 2026/27 it is R376 a month for you, R752 with one dependant and R254 for each additional dependant. See the tax credit guide.
6. Read our price tables. The cost guide lists 2026 prices by plan type, and the cheapest medical aid guide lists the lowest.