By Tegan Botha, Medaid Quote.
In short
- Across Discovery, Bonitas, Fedhealth and Medihelp, the 23 hospital plans in this comparison cost from R1,252 to R7,515 a month for a main member in 2027.
- The 10 options these schemes call comprehensive cost from R3,612 to R21,537 a month for a main member in 2027.
- Below R3,001 a month, every option in this comparison is a hospital plan. From R8,001 a month, every option is comprehensive. Between those amounts you can choose either.
- All figures are from each scheme 2027 table, read on 15 October 2026, and are still subject to approval by the Council for Medical Schemes.
Medaid Quote is a comparison website and does not give financial advice. Quote requests made through this site are handled by our advice partner, Curemed (Pty) Ltd, FSP 44098, an independent medical aid brokerage. Curemed appears in comparisons where it meets the inclusion rule. Every figure is from the named public source on the stated date.
If your budget for a main member is R3,000 a month or less in 2027, the options in this comparison are hospital plans. If it is over R8,000, they are comprehensive options. Between R3,001 and R8,000 you can choose either, and the right choice depends on how much day to day healthcare you expect to use and whether you can pay for it yourself. The table below sorts 33 options from four medical schemes into budget bands, using only 2027 contributions published by the schemes and read on 15 October 2026.
What is the difference between a hospital plan and a comprehensive option?
A hospital plan mainly pays for admissions to hospital and related treatment. Fedhealth describes its hospital plans as offering hospital cover with self funded out of hospital expenses, and Discovery describes its Core series as hospital plans for members who want to pay day to day costs themselves (2027 scheme guides).
A comprehensive option adds cover for day to day care, such as GP visits, medicine and specialist consultations, on top of hospital cover. Some do this through a medical savings account that is part of your contribution, some through insured day to day benefits, and some through both.
Both types must cover Prescribed Minimum Benefits, which include the 26 conditions on the Chronic Disease List, subject to each scheme rules on designated providers and formularies. A hospital plan is not the same as having no chronic cover.
What does each monthly budget buy in 2027?
| Monthly budget, main member | Hospital plans (23) | Comprehensive options (10) |
|---|---|---|
| Up to R3,000 | Fedhealth flexiFEDSavvy, R1,252 Bonitas BonCore, R1,368 Fedhealth flexiFED 1Elect, R2,250 Bonitas BonEssential Select, R2,526 Medihelp MedVital Elect, R2,568 Fedhealth flexiFED 1, R2,885 Discovery Essential Delta Core, R2,894 Bonitas BonEssential, R3,000 | None in this comparison |
| R3,001 to R5,000 | Medihelp MedVital, R3,300 Discovery Classic Delta Core, R3,374 Fedhealth flexiFED 2Elect, R3,443 Discovery Coastal Core, R3,540 Discovery Essential Core, R3,622 Bonitas Hospital Standard, R3,942 Fedhealth flexiFED 2GRID, R4,126 Fedhealth flexiFED 3Elect, R4,205 Discovery Classic Core, R4,215 Fedhealth flexiFED 2, R4,600 | Medihelp MedReach, R3,612 |
| R5,001 to R8,000 | Fedhealth flexiFED 3GRID, R5,035 Fedhealth flexiFED 3, R5,614 Fedhealth flexiFED 4Elect, R5,628 Fedhealth flexiFED 4GRID, R6,733 Fedhealth flexiFED 4, R7,515 | Medihelp MedPrime Elect, R5,100 Medihelp MedPrime, R6,222 |
| R8,001 to R12,000 | None in this comparison | Discovery Classic Smart Comprehensive, R9,343 Medihelp MedElite, R9,678 Discovery Classic Comprehensive, R10,934 |
| Above R12,000 | None in this comparison | Discovery Executive, R13,442 Fedhealth maxima EXEC, R13,839 Medihelp MedPlus, R16,800 Fedhealth maxima PLUS, R21,537 |
Lower priced variants of the same plan sit lower in each band, and each one asks for something in return. Fedhealth GRID and Discovery Delta plans use a hospital network. Fedhealth Elect plans have the same benefits as the matching flexiFED plan at a lower contribution, in return for a fixed excess of R16,570 on every planned hospital admission (Fedhealth Hospital Plans guide 2027).
Which options were included, and why?
This comparison includes four open medical schemes whose official 2027 contribution tables were published and could be downloaded on 15 October 2026: Discovery Health Medical Scheme, Bonitas Medical Fund, Fedhealth and Medihelp. An option is listed as a hospital plan or as comprehensive only where the scheme itself uses that label in its 2027 documents.
- Discovery: the five Core series plans count as hospital plans. Executive, Classic Comprehensive and Classic Smart Comprehensive count as comprehensive. Priority, Saver, Smart Saver, Smart and KeyCare plans fall outside both labels.
- Bonitas: the four plans in its HOSPITAL group count as hospital plans. Bonitas groups its other plans as savings, traditional, edge or income based, so none is listed as comprehensive here, even BonComprehensive, which Bonitas places in its savings group.
- Fedhealth: the twelve flexiFED hospital plans count as hospital plans. The two maxima plans, which Fedhealth calls Executive Plans with comprehensive cover, count as comprehensive.
- Medihelp: MedVital and MedVital Elect, which Medihelp calls a hospital plan, count as hospital plans. The five plans under its Comprehensive plans heading count as comprehensive.
Other schemes, including Momentum and Medshield, had also published 2027 figures, but their documents do not label options as hospital plans or comprehensive, so they are not in this table. Being left out says nothing about the quality of their cover.
When can a hospital plan be the better fit?
- You are generally healthy and see a doctor only a few times a year.
- You have an emergency fund or income that can absorb GP visits, acute medicine and tests.
- Your main worry is the cost of a hospital stay, an operation or a serious diagnosis.
The trade off is that day to day costs come out of your own pocket, and they are not predictable. A run of specialist visits, scans or a child with repeated infections can cost more than the monthly saving. Check what the plan pays outside hospital before you assume it pays nothing, and check what it does not pay.
When is a comprehensive option worth the higher contribution?
- You or a dependant see doctors often, take chronic medicine beyond the Chronic Disease List, or expect a pregnancy.
- You prefer a set monthly cost to irregular bills.
- You want a wider choice of specialists, hospitals or medicine.
The trade off is cost. Part of the higher contribution may sit in a medical savings account, which is your money for day to day claims. On Discovery Classic Comprehensive, for example, R2,733 of the R10,934 main member contribution is savings (2027 contribution table). If you use little care, you prepay for benefits you may not need, although unused savings generally carry over under scheme rules.
Our medical aid overview explains the other option types that sit between these two, such as savings and network plans.
How to check this yourself
- Open the official 2027 contribution table on each scheme website, for example the Discovery Health Medical Scheme 2027 contribution table or the Medihelp Member guide 2027. Use the main member column for your own contribution and add each dependant.
- Check whether the figure includes a savings amount, and how much of it is savings.
- Read the rules for any network, Elect, GRID or Delta variant, including any excess and what happens if you use a hospital outside the list.
- Look for the line that says the figures are subject to CMS approval, and recheck the table before you sign if the approval is not yet confirmed.
- Compare the increase with CMS Circular 20 of 2026, dated 31 July 2026, which recommended that 2027 contribution increases be anchored at 3.8%, with any extra provision supported by each scheme financial position.
For more plain language explainers, see our medical aid guides.
Frequently asked questions
Are these 2027 contributions final?
Not yet. Each of the four schemes states that its 2027 figures are subject to approval by the Council for Medical Schemes. The figures in this article were read on 15 October 2026 and may change if the CMS asks a scheme to amend them.
Does a hospital plan cover chronic medicine?
Every option must cover Prescribed Minimum Benefits, which include the 26 conditions on the Chronic Disease List, subject to the scheme rules on designated providers and medicine lists. Cover for chronic conditions outside that list varies by option. During a waiting period, a scheme may exclude Prescribed Minimum Benefits for an applicant who had no medical scheme cover in the 90 days before joining (Medical Schemes Act 131 of 1998, section 29A).
Why do two versions of the same plan have different prices?
A lower priced variant usually limits where you can be admitted or adds a cost when you are. Fedhealth GRID and Discovery Delta plans use a hospital network, and Fedhealth Elect plans carry a fixed excess of R16,570 on every planned hospital admission (2027 scheme guides). Read these rules before you choose one.
Is the most expensive option the safest choice?
Not necessarily. A higher contribution buys more day to day cover and choice, but if you seldom use that cover, a lower option and your own savings may cost less over a year. The better choice depends on how you and your dependants use healthcare.
What would a family pay on these options?
The table shows main member rates only. Each scheme adds a separate rate for each adult and child dependant, so a family contribution can be several times the main member figure. Use each scheme 2027 table to add your dependants.
If you would like quotes compared across several medical schemes, you can request a free medical aid quote.
Last reviewed: 15 October 2026. Sources: Discovery Health Medical Scheme, 2027 Contributions table and Plan Comparison Guide 2027; Bonitas Medical Fund, 2027 plan brochures and 2027 contribution comparison; Fedhealth, Hospital Plans and Executive Plans Rates and Benefits Guides 2027; Medihelp, Member guide 2027 and MedPlus plan page; Council for Medical Schemes, Circular 20 of 2026 (31 July 2026). All read on 15 October 2026.