Medical Aid Option Changes for 2027: Know Your Scheme’s Deadline

South African medical aid members have been warned not to miss their scheme’s deadline for changing benefit options for 2027. The earliest cut-off is Saturday, 31 October. According to Hagop Jaghlassian, CEO of Curemed Health and Wealth Consultants, members shouldn’t assume they have until the end of December, because each scheme sets its own administrative deadline.

Why the deadline matters

Missing the cut-off could leave you on your current benefit option for another year. Curemed stresses that the scheme’s cut-off is separate from 1 January, which is only the date a new option takes effect, and says schemes apply their deadlines strictly.

Dates can differ by up to two months between schemes, so don’t rely on last year’s deadline or another scheme’s.

Scheme deadlines for 2027

Persal refers to members paid through the Public Service Salary System. Curemed has set an earlier client deadline of 15 December for Bestmed and Medshield, to leave time to check paperwork before the schemes close. It is also working towards 15 December for its Discovery clients.

Act early

Jaghlassian advises members to act when their scheme announces its new benefits rather than waiting until December. The Council for Medical Schemes gave similar advice in its open-season guidance for 2026, encouraging members to finalise decisions by late November or early December.

2027 contribution increases

Schemes have announced their increases, which gives members another reason to review their cover:

Fedhealth’s increases are 8% on myFED and 8.4% on flexiFED Savvy, while some other options go as high as 13.5%, according to Curemed’s calculations.

These are averages, and increases vary between plans, so check the figure for your own option.

How to compare options

1. Compare contributions, benefits and limits of your current option against the alternatives.
2. Check that your cover still fits your healthcare needs. Don’t choose on price alone.
3. Confirm your scheme’s exact deadline on its website or with a broker.
4. Submit early. Allow time for paperwork to be checked and to reach the scheme before the cut-off.

The bottom line

With deadlines ranging from 31 October to 31 December, the date that matters is your own scheme’s. Check it now, compare your options, and submit well before the cut-off. A broker or your scheme can help if you’re unsure.

Source: Curemed Health and Wealth Consultants commentary, as reported in the original article.

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