Johannesburg - Private health insurance in South Africa is estimated to contribute 42% to national expenditure, the People's Health Movement said on Monday.
South Africa is actually a global exception in this regard, spokesperson Peter Benjamin said. He was speaking in Johannesburg at the South African launch of the third Global Health Watch book, hosted by NGO Section 27.
Benjamin said private health insurance in the United States contributed about 40% to national expenditure, while the average in most other countries was between 10% and 20%.
According to NGO Section 27's draft report, private health insurance generally covered middle- and upper income groups and formal sector employees. Benjamin said 16% of South Africans had access to private healthcare, and 84% did not.