Healthcare Market Inquiry News Round-up and Responding Research

Yesterday, after four years of deliberations, the Healthcare Market Inquiry released its preliminary findings and recommendations and announced stakeholders now have until the 7th September to interrogate its preliminary report before the panel releases a final report at the end of November 2018. Below are some of the newspaper/media headlines following the release of the preliminary findings as well as research reports the Hospital Association of South Africa has previously commissioned on some topics covered by the panel inquiry.

1. Health-e states that the inquiry found the private healthcare market uncompetitive
2. Fin24 focuses on the panel finding that medical scheme options are confusing and expensive  
3. IOL reports that South Africans are paying too much for private healthcare 
4. The SABC has a response from the Minister to the panel’s findings
5. Cape Talk features an interview with the inquiry director 

A few selected headlines read: Healthcare inquiry says SA needs a supply-side regulator; Easier comparisons will boost medical scheme competition, inquiry finds and Unnecessary procedures drive up private healthcare costs, competition inquiry finds. 

Research reports that are pertinent and have been published before the panel made its findings and recommendations include:

1. International Benchmarking of Hospital Utilisation: How does the South African private hospital sector compare?

2. Comparing the cost of delivering hospital services across private and public health sectors

3. Medical expenditure on private hospitals

4. Rising prices in the healthcare sector: unpacking healthcare inflation

5. Supplier-induced demand in the healthcare sector: theoretical considerations and an interview with Econex on supplier-induced demand in the private healthcare market

 The economics and competition consultancy has also looked into Market Concentration Trends in South Africa.