Last reviewed: October 2026. How we work: our editorial standards, corrections policy and how Curemed is paid. General information, not advice. A personalised recommendation follows a written needs analysis under the FAIS Act.
By Martin Janse van Rensburg, Sales Manager and Financial Advisor at Curemed. Reviewed by Roxanne Hurter-Ehlers, Director of People and Governance.
There are 24 medical aid options in South Africa that cost under R2,000 a month for a single member in 2027, across 13 open medical schemes. Contributions start at R466 on the Makoti Primary Option in its lowest income band and reach R1,940 on Fedhealth sureFEDEssential. One of them, Discovery Active Core, still awaits approval by the Council for Medical Schemes. Every figure in this guide comes from the published contribution tables of the schemes.
The 2026 rates apply until 31 December 2026, so the table shows both years. For 2026 this guide counted 15 options across seven of the larger open schemes; for 2027 it covers every open scheme with a verified 2027 table, which is why the count is higher.
In short
- 24 options across 13 open medical schemes cost under R2,000 a month for a single member in 2027, from R466 to R1,940.
- Discovery KeyCare Plus leaves the list: it rises from R1,961 to R2,136 in its lowest band.
- New for 2027 under R2,000: KeyHealth Core (R1,460), a Sizwe Hosmed entry band (R700) and Discovery Active Core (R1,700, subject to CMS approval).
- Several options are income banded and the schemes verify income before confirming the rate.
- The SARS medical scheme fees tax credit reduces the real monthly cost for the taxpayer who paid the contributions.
Which options cost under R2,000 a month in 2027?
The table lists every verified option in order of its 2027 contribution, with the 2026 figure beside it. Twelve of them come in under R1,500 in 2027 when the Ingwe network versions are counted once, a bracket covered in more detail in the guide to medical aid under R1,500 in South Africa.
| Scheme | Option | 2026 | 2027 | 2027 income band or note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Makoti Medical Scheme | Primary | R438 | R466 | Income R0 to R8,374; State hospitals only |
| Momentum Medical Scheme | Ingwe (Ingwe Network or Any hospital) | R645 | R699 | Income R0 to R1,600 |
| Sizwe Hosmed | Essential Copper, new entry band | Not offered | R700 | Income R0 to R1,650, per beneficiary |
| Thebemed | Universal EDO | R680 | R730 | Income R0 to R500 |
| Medihelp | MedMove! Student | R804 | R864 | Students, income R0 to R900 |
| Thebemed | Universal | R820 | R880 | Income R0 to R500 |
| CompCare | DigiCare | R995 | From R1,099 | Marketed to students and younger adults |
| Momentum Medical Scheme | Ingwe (Connect Network) | R1,079 | R1,158 | Income R0 to R1,600; R1,344 up to R9,800 |
| Fedhealth | flexiFEDSavvy (hospital plan) | R1,155 | R1,252 | None |
| Bonitas Medical Fund | BonCore | R1,275 | R1,368 | None, flat rate per beneficiary |
| Discovery Health Medical Scheme | KeyCare Start Regional | R1,278 | R1,392 | Income R0 to R11,400 |
| Discovery Health Medical Scheme | Active Smart | R1,350 | R1,450 | None |
| KeyHealth | Core (new for 2027) | Not offered | R1,460 | None, flat rate per beneficiary |
| Momentum Medical Scheme | Ingwe (Ingwe Network), second band | R1,425 | R1,537 | Income R1,601 to R9,800 |
| Discovery Health Medical Scheme | KeyCare Start | R1,436 | R1,564 | Income R0 to R11,400 |
| Discovery Health Medical Scheme | KeyCare Core | R1,490 | R1,623 | Income R0 to R10,650 |
| Discovery Health Medical Scheme | Active Core (new, subject to CMS approval) | Not offered | R1,700 | None |
| Fedhealth | flexiFEDSavvy (savings plan) | R1,600 | R1,714 | None; R462 of the 2027 total is savings |
| Bonitas Medical Fund | BonStart | R1,603 | R1,720 | None |
| Genesis Medical Scheme | MED-100 | R1,680 | R1,750 | Same rate for all adults |
| Medihelp | MedMove! | R1,734 | R1,848 | Income R901 and above |
| Fedhealth | myFED | R1,719 | R1,857 | Household income R1 to R11,494 |
| Bestmed | Rhythm1 | R1,736 | R1,866 | Income up to R9,000 |
| Bonitas Medical Fund | BonCap | R1,730 | R1,929 | Income R0 to R12,400 |
| Medshield | MediCurve | R1,821 | R1,929 | None |
| Discovery Health Medical Scheme | Essential Dynamic Smart | R1,797 | R1,939 | None |
| Fedhealth | sureFEDEssential | R1,940 (from 1 June 2026) | R1,940 | None |
What changes in this price range for 2027?
Most options rise by between 6.5% and 9%. Discovery raises every KeyCare band by about 8.9%, which takes KeyCare Plus from R1,961 to R2,136 and off the list, and KeyCare Start and KeyCare Core above R1,500. Bonitas BonCap rises from R1,730 to R1,929 in its lowest band, which is 11.5%, the largest increase on the list. Fedhealth holds sureFEDEssential at its June 2026 launch rate of R1,940. KeyHealth launches Core at a flat R1,460 and Discovery announces Active Core at R1,700, which is subject to approval by the Council for Medical Schemes. Suremed Health has published no 2027 contributions because it has proposed an amalgamation with Momentum Medical Scheme from 1 January 2027, subject to regulatory approval, so Suremed Shuttle (R1,505 in 2026) is not listed. Scheme by scheme detail is in our medical aid increase 2027 tracker.
The co-payment and benefit amounts in the next section come from the 2026 scheme rules. Schemes adjust some rand amounts each year, so confirm them in the 2027 brochure for your option.
How do these plans keep the contribution low?
Every plan on this list controls cost through networks and defined benefits rather than open ended cover. Momentum Ingwe applies a 30% co-payment on the hospital account when a member uses a hospital outside the chosen network. Medihelp MedMove! applies a R1,805 co-payment per hospitalisation, excluding PMB admissions, plus R410 per admission on discharge medicine. Bonitas BonStart charges a R1,850 co-payment per admission except for PMB emergencies.
Several options route benefits to State facilities. On Ingwe with the Connect Network, chronic treatment and day to day benefits must be obtained at State facilities, and on Ingwe generally, mental health, renal dialysis, prostheses and specialised scans such as MRI and CT are limited to Prescribed Minimum Benefits at State facilities. On Discovery Active Smart, chronic dialysis is covered at a State facility and cancer at a network provider limited to PMBs. Bestmed Rhythm1 covers in hospital treatment as approved PMBs at designated service providers only.
Day to day cover, where it exists, is defined and network bound. On the Discovery KeyCare options, day to day and chronic benefits run only through the KeyCare GP the member chose, and backdating a GP nomination is not allowed. Active Smart and BonStart both offer unlimited network GP consultations with a R130 co-payment per visit, and BonStart pays non network GPs and specialists at 70% of the Bonitas Rate. myFED adds unlimited consultations at a nominated contracted GP, subject to protocols and monitoring after 10 visits per beneficiary per year.
Fedhealth is the exception on savings. In 2027 the flexiFEDSavvy savings version costs R1,714 for the principal member, of which R1,252 is risk and R462 is savings, and adult and child dependants pay the risk contribution only. Fedhealth states R5,544 a year of savings for the principal member on the 2027 Savings Plan. The plan includes unlimited virtual GP consultations and three face to face GP consultations paid from Risk. The Discovery KeyCare, Core and Smart plans carry no Medical Savings Account.
Whatever the structure, every option must fund Prescribed Minimum Benefits. These cover any emergency medical condition, a set of 271 conditions defined in the Diagnosis Treatment Pairs, and 26 chronic conditions on the Chronic Disease List, as set out by the Council for Medical Schemes. Budget options often meet this duty at designated providers, including State facilities, rather than at any private provider of your choice.
Which options sit just outside this list in 2027?
Options just above R2,000 in 2027 include Discovery KeyCare Plus (R2,136 in its lowest band), Momentum Evolve (R2,176), Bonitas BonStart Plus (R2,189), Medshield MediPhila (R2,295), Bestmed Beat1 Network (R2,439), Bonitas BonEssential Select (R2,526), Medihelp MedVital Elect (R2,568) and KeyHealth Essence (R2,616). Sizwe Hosmed starts at R3,430 on Access Core for members who earn more than R1,650 a month. A wider view of the market is set out in the list of medical aid schemes in South Africa.
Among the restricted schemes, Profmed ProSelect Savvy costs R1,150 in 2027 for household income up to R40,000, but Profmed is open only to graduate professionals. GEMS Tanzanite One was R1,693 a month for February to December 2026; GEMS is open only to public service employees and had not published 2027 contributions on its website at the time of writing.
How does the medical scheme fees tax credit change the real cost?
For the 2026/2027 year of assessment, which runs from 1 March 2026 to 28 February 2027, the SARS medical scheme fees tax credit is R376 a month for the first person, R752 a month for the taxpayer and one dependant, and R254 a month for each additional dependant. The credit is a rebate against tax payable, it is non refundable, and any unused portion cannot be carried over to the next year of assessment.
On a plan such as BonCore at R1,275 a month, a credit of R376 a month meaningfully changes the real cost for the person who paid, which is why ownership of the credit matters. You can test your own numbers with the medical aid tax credit calculator.
Who claims the credit when the payer is not the member?
The credit belongs to the taxpayer who paid the medical scheme contributions, not automatically to the person named as the member. SARS also allows the credit for a dependant who is a member or a dependant of a member of a medical scheme or fund, where the taxpayer is not a member of a scheme.
For example, a parent pays the contributions for a young adult child who is the principal member of the scheme. The parent claims the credit, provided the child is a dependant of the parent for tax purposes, and the same contributions may not be claimed by two taxpayers.
Where the taxpayer is not a member of any scheme and pays for two dependants who are members, the combined credit is R728 a month, not R752. The scheme tax certificate is issued in the name of the member, so where the payer is a different person, SARS may ask for an affidavit on audit.
How do you choose between these options?
Price is only the starting point. Check whether the network hospitals and GPs are practical for where you live and work, whether an income band applies to your household, and how the option handles chronic medicine, scans and specialists. The guide on how to choose medical aid in South Africa works through these questions step by step.
Curemed Advisors compare options across schemes, and Curemed has arranged medical aid nationally since 1992. If you would like a comparison built around your income, area and health needs, you can ask a Curemed Advisor for a comparison.
What else do readers ask?
Which medical aid options cost under R2,000 in 2027?
24 options across 13 open schemes, from R466 on Makoti Primary to R1,940 on Fedhealth sureFEDEssential, including KeyHealth Core (R1,460) and Discovery Active Core (R1,700, subject to approval by the Council for Medical Schemes). Discovery KeyCare Plus moves above R2,000 in 2027. The figures apply from 1 January 2027.
Can Prescribed Minimum Benefits be excluded while a waiting period runs?
Sometimes, yes. Under section 29A of the Medical Schemes Act 131 of 1998, a scheme may impose a general waiting period of up to three months and a condition specific waiting period of up to 12 months on an applicant who was not a beneficiary of a medical scheme for at least 90 days before applying. For that first time applicant the Act does not carve Prescribed Minimum Benefits out of the waiting period, so PMBs may lawfully be excluded while it runs.
What should you check before moving from another scheme?
Timing. If your previous cover ended less than 90 days before you apply, the Act carves Prescribed Minimum Benefits out of any waiting period the new scheme imposes. A scheme may not impose a waiting period on a child dependant born during membership, or a new one when a member moves between options within the same scheme, apart from any remaining period already running.
Does Gap Cover make sense alongside a budget network plan?
Gap Cover is a separate insurance product that helps with shortfalls between what providers charge and what a scheme option pays, and it is held alongside medical scheme membership, never instead of it. Whether a specific product accepts a specific budget option differs between insurers, so confirm before you join. The complete guide to Gap Cover in South Africa covers the detail.
Who do these plans generally suit?
People joining a medical scheme for the first time, households whose income falls inside the bands in the table, and members comfortable with a defined hospital and GP network in exchange for a lower contribution. Anyone wanting wide provider choice or extensive specialist cover usually needs to budget above R2,000 a month.
What happens if you do not declare your income on an income banded option?
Income banded options are priced on verified income. Discovery states that declaring income lower than actual income is fraud, and where income is not declared the verification status defaults to the highest income band, with proof being three months of bank statements plus payslips or an IRP5. Bonitas BonCap is also subject to income verification, so expect to submit documents before a banded rate is confirmed.
Martin Janse van Rensburg
Sales Manager and Financial Advisor | Curemed Health and Wealth Consultants
More about Martin
