“It is crucial to recognise that the NHI Bill is not universal health coverage, but a funding mechanism,” the Board of Healthcare Funders (BHF) has reiterated in a recent statement on the Bill in its present state as it moves towards final parliamentary approval. Interventions cited by the board include systems strengthening, quality standards, governance and management capacity.
“All require equal attention and will contribute independently to advancing UHC,” the BHF explains, making the point that the funding industry has “deep experience and expertise” in a number of areas related to financing, value-based care, management and administration, “which will be valuable to reforms that lie ahead”.
Believing that aligning with the principles of UHC is essential to meeting the needs of health citizens, the BHF has embarked on a number of projects, not least the implementation of the Health Market Inquiry (HMI) recommendations on reducing the cost of care: “These initiatives aim to reduce the financial burden on health citizens and ensure that their needs are prioritized.”
This, it has indicated, was one of the main motivations behind taking legal action against the Council for Medical Schemes (CMS) to challenge its current stance on Low-Cost Benefit Options (LCBOs): “This litigation is a step in concluding long outstanding policy implementation and debates on accessibility and quality of healthcare services, particularly regarding the participation of medical schemes in expanding access through lower-cost products.
“The BHF,” the statement continues, “seeks to lift the moratorium and declare the failure to develop and implement LCBO guidelines as irrational, unreasonable, and unlawful. We have also applied for an exemption to the Competition Commission to enable BHF to negotiate pricing, to address affordability and increase access to medical scheme cover in line with the HMI recommendations.
“Collaboration, innovation, and a patient-centric approach,” it concludes, “are deemed crucial to achieving these goals.”
SOURCE: Zola Mtshiya, BHF Head of Stakeholder Relations and Business Development.