Prepaid vouchers for GP consultations, similar to prepaid cellphone accounts, constitutes a marked shift for Discovery Health, which typically aims at higher-income customers.

Whether this will work in the context of healthcare with the same success as it did in the cellphone context is a contested issue, since this type of healthcare payment is almost unheard of, but it could potentially help millions of poorer patients.

Chief executive of Discovery Health Ryan Noach says although the group is launching with a single R300 voucher covering a GP consultation plus medication for five days, more vouchers are in the pipeline for next year, including nurse consultations, virtual consultations and pharmacy vouchers.

“When we stepped back and looked at the market, we saw that about 8 million people are formally employed with no health insurance.

“We did extensive research into this market segment and about 50% told us they are accessing private healthcare out of their own pockets and they are not having a great experience for a few reasons.

“One is that prices are not transparent… they are variable, and at times cash consumers are paying a lot more than insured consumers do for primary healthcare,” he says.

Noach is quick to point out that the prepaid voucher offering has no relation to Discovery Health Medical Scheme and is being rolled out by Discovery Health Pty Ltd, the company that handles administration for Discovery Health Medical Scheme as well as many other medical schemes.

Discovery has gone to market and negotiated reduced rates with doctors to provide discounted healthcare via the vouchers.

“We’ve contracted in an unusual way with the doctors in that we have taken on some of the capital risk and prepaid them for hours in their diary. So this offering is prepaid for the consumers and the doctors,” he explains.

In true Discovery enmeshed fashion, if you are a Discovery member, you have improved access to the vouchers. You can purchase vouchers from the Vitality active rewards mall under the healthcare section; you can pay using your Discovery miles and you are eligible for a discount up to 20% depending on your Vitality status.

This means members on the highest Vitality level (Diamond) can buy a R300 GP voucher for R240.

Not the first to market  

While Discovery is known for its innovation, in this case it is not first to market, but follows hospital group Netcare, which launched a similar product in August this year.

The NetcarePlus GP vouchers offer you a choice between three types of prepaid vouchers for a GP consultation. You can choose:

• A voucher that gives you access to an in-person consultation – R350.
• A voucher that covers the consultation and prescribed acute medications such as antibiotics – R430.
• A voucher that will provide access to a virtual doctor consultation – R290.

The caveat is that you must use a GP on the NetcarePlus partner network.

Teshlin Akaloo, managing director of Netcare’s innovative products division, says there are more than 500 doctors across all nine provinces and the virtual option means you can access a private GP consultation regardless of your location.

“NetcarePlus GP vouchers provide a viable new way for persons who are not members of medical schemes to gain access to quality private medical care.

“It is also ideally suited to employers looking for an affordable way to support their staff with medical care and represents a practical add-on to existing cover for those with hospital plans, or whose day-to-day medical scheme benefits have run out,” Akaloo explains.

Both the Discovery Health prepaid vouchers and the NetcarePlus GP vouchers fall in an unregulated no-man’s-land – falling under neither medical schemes nor insurance products. Noach says Discovery Health had extensive discussions with the Financial Services Conduct Authority prior to launch.

One of the main benefits of the prepaid health vouchers is that you can buy them for family members, staff or anyone else at your discretion. Both NetcarePlus and Discovery vouchers have a 12-digit pin code, which you can forward to a recipient.

In January this year, fintech Oyi launched a prepaid medical card aimed primarily at employers with staff who are not covered by medical aid. Tami Ngalo, chief executive of Oyi, says the Oyi Medical Card is a savings card for medical spend only, and is supported by a secure payments technology.

“The card eliminates the temptation of using the money for other purposes as it can only be used to pay for doctors, medical services such as X-rays and blood tests, as well as to purchase medicines from any pharmacy.

“Preventative treatment leads to reduced absenteeism and increased productivity, and the card also introduces a culture of saving and responsible financial practices. The low-cost solution increases staff morale with a positive impact on staff retention,” he says.

The Oyi Medical Card/FlexPay MasterCard is a regulated product issued in association with Mercantile Bank, and Oyi is registered with the National Credit Regulator. The Oyi Medical Card/FlexPay MasterCard is issued in association with Mercantile Bank Limited.

How to access the prepaid vouchers

NetcarePlus vouchers 

• You can view the list of participating doctors and purchase vouchers at www.netcare.co.za/NetcarePlus.
• FNB clients can also purchase NetcarePlus GP vouchers through FNB platforms such as the FNB App and eBucks shop, using cash, card or eBucks.
• You can either make the appointment when you buy the voucher or you can buy the voucher and make the appointment later.
• For virtual consultations, the NetcarePlus Partner GP will send you a unique link via SMS to the secure digital platform on which the consultation will be hosted. If the GP prescribes medication during the virtual consultation, a script will be sent by email.

Discovery Health vouchers 

• You can register via www.discovery.co.za or on WhatsApp on 0800 337846. You can buy your voucher through the app or via WhatsApp.
• Non-South African residents can register via WhatsApp using their passport number to verify their identification.
• The vouchers are also available as a Blu voucher or 1ForYou voucher. You can buy these either via a Blue Label distributor (the same company that sells airtime vouchers) or Pep stores.

Noach notes that accessibility is high, with 350,000 retailers on these networks. BM/DM