Minister of Health Aaron Motsoaledi has dismissed a City Press report claiming that the African National Congress (ANC) intends to propose a compromise on the implementation of the contentious National Health Insurance (NHI).

The publication together with its sister publication, Rapport reported that the ANC during its first Cabinet Lekgotla of 2025, plans to propose that all employees must join a medical aid scheme to lower health insurance costs and ease the public health system's strain.

It was further added that the ANC hopes the proposal will appease other parties who form part of the Government of National Unity (GNU) who have strongly objected to the implementation of the NHI.

"The Minister and the Department of Health want to place on record that there is no such a plan that will be proposed to the Cabinet Lekgotla," said the department spokesperson, Foster Mohale.

"Again, we wish to place on record that these allegations are both unfounded and ridiculous. There is no such plan from either the ANC nor from government. Any insinuation thereto is the figment of the imagination of either the author of the article or his unknown sources," added Mohale.

Motsoaledi slammed the headline which said: New NHI compromise: ANC wants to force medical schemes to be cheaper.

"It is now an uncontested fact that private health care costs are escalating at a rate that is likely to collapse the sector. Recently medical aids have been increasing their subscriptions by up to 10% and more, with GEMS going up to 13%.

"However, even people with a rudimentary knowledge of private health care will know that forcing medical aids to be cheaper is not a solution to this problem.

"In fact, it would be dumb for anyone to suggest that. It is surprising that certain segments of the media keep second-guessing about what will be done with the costs of the private health sector," said Motsoaledi.

Motsoaledi added the department was worried that there is persistent and consistent disinformation about NHI.

"The recent reporting on NHI represents nothing but an onslaught by some sections of the media on NHI which clearly is aimed at adding confusion and discrediting NHI in the eyes of the public," he said.

sinenhlanhla.masilela@iol.co.za

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