Discovery, South Africa’s largest medical aid scheme, has announced that monthly contributions for members will increase by a weighted average of 9.3% in 2025.
Across the ever-growing number of plans that Discovery offers, contributions will rise between 7.4% and 10.9%.
The group were quick to point out that around half (50%) of its members can expect a contribution increase of 8.4% or less.
Subject to CMS approval
Discovery confirmed that its contribution increases and benefit updates for next year have been submitted to the Council for Medical Schemes (CMS) for approval.
Subject to the CMS’ approval, the increases and benefit updates will kick in from 1 January 2025.
However, Discovery’s planned hikes are outside of the CMS’ recommendations.
According to BusinessTech, in August this year, the CMS published its recommendations and pricing guidelines for 2025, urging medical aid schemes in the country to cap their hikes.
The CMS asked medical aid schemes to attempt to keep pricing as close to CPI as possible, recommending a 4.4% increase, plus “reasonable utilisation estimates”.
Private medical inflation typically exceeds CPI by 2% to 3%, thus a “reasonable” increase for 2025 would be somewhere in the range of 6.4% to 7.7%.
Discovery’s weighted average, as detailed above, comes in considerably higher at 9.3%.
Find the full contributions table for 2025 here
DISCOVERY MONTHLY CONTRIBUTION CHANGES FOR 2025
| Main member | 2024 | 2025 | Rand increase | % Increase |
| Executive plan | R10 303 | R11 430 | R1 127 | 10.94% |
| Classic Comprehensive | R8 381 | R9 298 | R917 | 10.94% |
| Classic Smart Comprehensive | R7 163 | R7 945 | R782 | 10.92% |
| Classic Priority | R5 272 | R5 796 | R524 | 9.94% |
| Essential Priority | R4 531 | R4 981 | R450 | 9.93% |
| Classic Saver | R4 182 | R4 535 | R353 | 8.44% |
| Classic Delta Saver | R3 342 | R3 624 | R282 | 8.44% |
| Essential Saver | R3 351 | R3 634 | R283 | 8.45% |
| Essential Delta Saver | R2 673 | R2 898 | R225 | 8.42% |
| Coastal Saver | R3 423 | R3 797 | R374 | 10.93% |
| Classic Smart | R2 627 | R2 822 | R195 | 7.42% |
| Essential Smart | R1 881 | R2 021 | R140 | 7.44% |
| Essential Dynamic Smart | R1 565 | R1 681 | R116 | 7.41% |
| Classic Core | R3 322 | R3 652 | R330 | 9.93% |
| Classic Delta Core | R2 659 | R2 923 | R264 | 9.93% |
| Essential Core | R2 855 | R3 138 | R283 | 9.91% |
| Essential Delta Core | R2 281 | R2 507 | R226 | 9.91% |
| Coastal Core | R2 714 | R3 011 | R297 | 10.94% |
Other changes
Meanwhile, in other changes for 2025, Discovery has introduced a new entry-level plan in the Smart series, called Active Smart with contributions of just R1 350 per month.
It says this “is designed around the unique needs of young professionals starting their careers.
Active Smart, like the three other ‘smart’ plans – Classic, Essential and Essential Dynamic – has no medical savings account.
| Main member | 2024 | 2025 | Rand increase | % Increase |
| Active Smart | – | R1 350 | – | N/A |
Finally, according to Moneyweb, Discovery said that all members of Discovery Health Medical Scheme (DHMS) will be able to access “up to R10 000 in risk-funded benefits for day-to-day medical expenses each year” through the new Personal Health Fund.
These benefits, which depend on the member’s plan and family composition, are accumulated “by completing health actions recommended in their Personal Health Pathway”.
It added “Personal Health Pathways offers each member a precise and personalised health journey based on their unique healthcare needs, dynamically adapting as the member’s health status evolves. Members are rewarded for completing personalised health and exercise actions and developing sustained healthy habits over time”.
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