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.