Medshield Medical Scheme: 2026 options, the 7.9% increase for 2027 and who it suits

Medshield suits people who want an established open scheme with a clear ladder of network, hospital, savings and comprehensive options, and who are happy to pick a hospital network to keep the contribution down. The entry options, MediCurve and MediPhila, are aimed at people taking out private cover for the first time.

It suits you less well if you expect an income-based price. Some websites still describe MediPhila as income-based, but it is not income-banded: it has one flat contribution, and MediCurve is the lowest-priced option. Lower earners who want a contribution that falls with income should look at income-based options such as Bonitas BonCap or Momentum Ingwe.

It is also a poor fit if you need your regular hospital or doctor and they are outside the network of the option you can afford. Check that first.

• Medshield Medical Scheme has operated since 1968 and describes itself as an open medical scheme; the proposed 2025 amalgamation with Fedhealth was called off on 10 November 2025, so it continues as a separate scheme. (medshield.co.za)
• 2027 contribution increase: 7.9% weighted average contribution increase for 2027, announced 29 September 2026 (125 603 lives at 6% to 7.9%). Main-member 2027 prices are on medshield.co.za: MediCurve R1 929, MediPhila R2 295, MediValue R3 465 Prime / R3 141 Compact, MediCore R4 701, MediPlus R5 925 Prime / R5 382 Compact, MediSaver R5 907, MediBonus R9 906, PremiumPlus R10 428. (bizcommunity.com)
• 2026 contribution increase: 7.5% weighted average contribution increase for 2026 (71.6% of the membership at 7%). (medshield.co.za)
• Fedhealth and Medshield ended their proposed amalgamation talks on 10 November 2025; both continue as separate schemes. (Earlier 2025 coverage had said they would amalgamate beyond 2026.). (news.medshield.media)
• Medshield announced 2027 options and contributions on 29 September 2026 with a 7.9% weighted average increase; the Child Dependant age rises from 21 to 24 on all options. (bizcommunity.com)
• GCR rated Medshield AA (improved outlook noted in the 2026 launch release: 'upgraded AA with a stable outlook'); solvency ratio 53% against the 25% statutory minimum. (medshield.co.za)
• Eight benefit options are published for 2026 (PremiumPlus, MediBonus, MediSaver, MediPlus, MediCore, MediValue, MediPhila, MediCurve); the MediCurve option launched as a first-time option for the young and healthy. (medshield.co.za)
• MediPlus and MediValue each come in a Prime or a cheaper 'Compact' hospital-network version, and the 2026 launch release lists new benefits such as mammograms every 12 months from 30 and virtual GP consultations paid from risk on all options. (medshield.co.za)
• Medshield and Sanlam signed a distribution agreement; Medshield offers Sanlam Gap cover at preferential rates to members. (bizcommunity.com)
• Medshield runs seven Regional Offices and Walk-in Centres plus 19 additional walk-in centres for 2027. (bizcommunity.com)
• Medshield reports it has been in operation since 1968 and says it has received a GCR national scale AA rating for 16 consecutive years. (medshield.co.za)

Medshield Medical Scheme publishes 8 benefit options for 2026. Prices are the monthly contribution for a main member as published by Medshield. Adult and child dependants pay extra. Checked on 29 September 2026.

Sources: medshield.co.za/...ntribution-Adjustments-1.pdf, medshield.co.za/...ntribution-Adjustments-1.pdf, medshield.co.za/...ntribution-Adjustments-1.pdf, medshield.co.za/...ntribution-Adjustments-1.pdf, medshield.co.za/...ntribution-Adjustments-1.pdf, medshield.co.za/...ntribution-Adjustments-1.pdf, medshield.co.za/...ntribution-Adjustments-1.pdf, medshield.co.za/...ntribution-Adjustments-1.pdf.

MediBonus is a high-end option, not a budget network plan, whatever some older write-ups say. For the difference between these plan types, read hospital plan versus comprehensive.

Checked on 29 September 2026 against Medshield'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: medshield.co.za/contact, medshield.co.za/...Phila_2026_Benefit_Guide.pdf, medicalschemes.co.za/pmb. All schemes' numbers are on our medical aid contact numbers page.

Most options use a hospital network, and you pay a price for choosing outside it. MediPlus and MediValue each come in a Prime version and a cheaper Compact version. On MediValue, the Compact version needs care coordination and a doctor referral.

MediCurve, MediPhila, MediCore and MediSaver use the Compact Hospital Network. Only MediBonus and PremiumPlus give you a hospital of your choice.

The network list is published by Medshield, so check your hospital by name before joining. Read network versus traditional plans and designated service providers. Emergencies are covered differently: the Council for Medical Schemes says you may go to the nearest facility in an emergency and the scheme must pay for prescribed minimum benefit treatment.

MediSaver and PremiumPlus carry a Personal Savings Account for day-to-day costs. MediPlus, MediValue and MediBonus have a day-to-day limit instead, which is spent as you claim, and MediPhila includes day-to-day cover. MediCore leaves day-to-day to you.

Medshield's 2026 launch release lists virtual GP consultations paid from risk on all options and mammograms every 12 months from age 30. These are useful, but limits and conditions apply, so read the benefit guide for your option.

If you are unsure how a savings account differs from a day-to-day limit, see medical savings accounts and day-to-day benefits. We have not verified maternity limits by option, so ask Medshield for the current numbers, and use our maternity checklist.

Every option must pay prescribed minimum benefits, which cover 271 conditions plus 26 chronic conditions on the Chronic Disease List, in full and without a co-payment. Where a scheme requires a designated provider and you choose another provider voluntarily, a co-payment can apply.

Medshield uses partners for some of this work. Chronic medicine authorisations run through Mediscor, HIV and AIDS management through HaloCare and hospital authorisations through Medscheme. Ask which formulary applies to your option and whether your medicine is on it. Our chronic disease benefits guide lists the questions to ask.

2026. Contributions rose by a weighted average of 7.5%, with 71.6% of members getting 7%. The 2026 range includes MediCurve, which Medshield aims at young and healthy first-time buyers, and MediPlus and MediValue are each sold in a Prime and a Compact version.

2027. Medshield announced a weighted average increase of 7.9% in late September 2026. Reports of the same release describe the range for members differently, so check the 2027 contribution for your own option on medshield.co.za rather than relying on the average. That average is well above the 3.8% the Council for Medical Schemes recommended as the anchor for 2027, though the CMS calls it a benchmark and allows schemes to justify more. See our 2027 increases page.

Other changes. The child dependant age rises from 21 to 24 on all options in 2027, Medshield plans 19 additional walk-in centres alongside its seven regional offices, and it offers Sanlam gap cover at preferential rates to members.

Finances. GCR rates Medshield AA and its solvency ratio is 53% against the 25% statutory minimum.

• Bonitas is larger, with 16 plans, and moved administrators in June 2026. Its 2026 average increase was 8.8%.
• Bestmed is also self-administered, with three ranges. Its 2026 average increase was reported at 6.8%.
• Momentum Medical Scheme is bigger and had a 9.9% average for 2026.
• Fedhealth was the first scheme to publish 2027 contributions, with an average of 8.9% for 60% of its members.

Medshield's 7.5% for 2026 sat below Bonitas and Momentum. Compare option to option, not scheme averages, using how to compare medical aid plans and the cheapest medical aid page. Also check whether the medical scheme fees tax credit helps: R376 a month for you, R376 for the first dependant and R254 for each further dependant in 2026/27. See the tax credit guide.

You can apply through medshield.co.za, the Medshield app or a registered broker. The app, on Apple, Google Play and Huawei stores, gives real-time member services and information, and there is a WhatsApp self-service line.

As an open scheme Medshield must accept any applicant who can pay, but it can impose waiting periods. With no cover for at least 90 days, a scheme may impose up to three months general and up to 12 months condition-specific waiting periods. A late joiner penalty can apply if you are 35 or older and were not continuously covered. See waiting periods and the late joiner guide.

If you have a problem, use Medshield's own complaints process first. If that fails, the Council for Medical Schemes can review it, and it acknowledges complaints in writing within six working days. The complaints guide has the steps and the contact hub has the numbers. Sanlam gap cover is health insurance, not a scheme benefit, so its complaints go to the National Financial Ombud.