Medical Aid
Compare medical aid contributions across 6 South African schemes: the open schemes Discovery, Bonitas, Bestmed, Momentum and Fedhealth, and GEMS for government employees. All 2026figures are from official scheme sources, linked below. Educational comparison only; we do not recommend plans.
Sources:Discovery Health website,Bonitas website,Bestmed website,Momentum Health website,Fedhealth website,GEMS websiteLast reviewed
Compare by scheme
Every plan for 2026, from each scheme's published contributions.
Looking for the lowest price? See the cheapest medical aid plans for 2026, or compare Discovery, Bonitas and Momentum.
Discovery
Discovery Health Rate (DHR)
All plans: 3 children max (under 21). KeyCare plans are income-banded and network-only.
From
R1,278/ month
lowest income band
25 plan options
Bonitas
Bonitas Scheme Rate
All plans: 3 children max (under 21).
From
R1,275/ month
16 plan options
Bestmed
Bestmed Scheme Tariff
All plans: 3 children max (under 24). Extra children beyond 3 are free except on Rhythm1. Tempo wellness is free on all plans.
From
R1,736/ month
lowest income band
14 plan options
Momentum
Momentum Health Rate
Most plans: 3 children max (under 21). Ingwe plans charge ALL children with no cap.
From
R645/ month
lowest income band
23 plan options
Fedhealth
Fedhealth Rate
All plans: 3 children max (under 27 — highest in SA). GRID saves ~10%; Elect saves ~25% with a fixed co-pay on planned procedures.
From
R1,155/ month
24 plan options
GEMS
GEMS Scheme Rate
Restricted to South African public service employees. Income-banded contributions with government employer subsidy (75%, or 100% for Level 1-5 on Tanzanite One). Out-of-pocket capped by DPSA limits.
From
R1,698/ month
lowest band, before subsidy
6 plan options
Or use a tool
Filter every plan at once, learn the jargon first, or price a GEMS plan after the subsidy.
Plan Explorer
Compare 102 plan options from the five open schemes
Set your family size and income, filter by scheme or category, sort by contribution, and pin up to 3 plans to see them side-by-side.
Open the explorer →
Learning Centre
How medical aid works
36 concepts in plain English — MSA vs ATB, PMBs, scheme rate, hospital networks, the late-joiner penalty, and the rest of the jargon you'll meet on the way.
Open the learning centre →
Government Employees
GEMS plans & subsidy calculator
Compare all six GEMS plans and see your real out-of-pocket cost after the employer subsidy. 2026 rates with DPSA cap modelling.
Open GEMS explorer →
FAIS Disclaimer
This tool is for educational and informational purposes only. It does not constitute financial advice. Consult a registered financial adviser (FSP) before making any medical aid decision. Contributions shown are current-year (2026) figures from official scheme sources.