If you were to ask any reasonable person whether they think every person should have access to quality and efficient health care, we’d have it a guess the answer would be a resounding “Yes.”
The idea behind the National Health Insurance (NHI) is a noble one indeed and seeks to mirror in some ways the gold standard National Health Service (NHS) of the UK. But the NHS has been around for years and despite some recent debates around privatisation and funding, it has been well run during its lifespan.
The NHI on the other hand is another story entirely. It is yet to be implemented and the specifics around funding it has been hazy ever since then health minister Aaron Motsoaledi unveiled the plan a few years ago.
“Last week Nicholas Crisp, the deputy director-general for the NHI, told Parliament that they would use surcharges on personal income tax, payroll tax and reallocating funding for medical scheme tax credits,” writes Melanie Verwoerd.
Verwoerd contends that while no one would disagree with the principles of an NHI, it seems as if the government wants to (yet again) stick the bill with taxpayers to foot the costs of funding the NHI.
Verwoerd writes she has no problem with paying more in taxes so that those who do not have access to quality healthcare can benefit from an NHI, but the problem lies within asking taxpayers to yet again pay for government incompetence.
“Those of us who are already spending a fortune on medical insurance, will lose our tax credits, lose our access to private health care for certain conditions, and pay more tax in order for the government to try and fix a problem that they largely created.”
And that, is a scary prospect, indeed.
Meanwhile, while the government may be dooming us on the NHI front, have they started to listen to us with the left-field decision to cut the fuel price levy by R1.50 for the next two months to curb the rise in costs?
Financial Mail cites the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse’s Wayne Duvenage who says finance minister Enoch Godongwana’s decision to cut the levy shows he may be heading President Cyril Ramaphosa’s call for the government to listen to civil society.
“The government has always just expected people to suck up new costs. But in February, when Godongwana didn’t hike fuel levies as they’d done for years, there was a sense that something had changed. Finally, they’re listening,” says Duvenage.
Godongwana also recently indicated that he would be willing to review the basic fuel cost after the temporary fuel levy cut lapses at the end of May, something he has mooted in the past.
Perhaps government is turning a new leaf and wants to listen to the citizens it is supposed to be working for?
Here’s a roundup of interesting opinions, analyses, and editorials:
Ending State of Disaster a step to return to ‘normal life’ again – The Citizen (for subscribers)
ANC’s inconsistency on step aside rule denotes incompetence – The Citizen (for subscribers)
TONY LEON | Is SA going to hell or to heal? Well, it depends on how you look at it – Sunday Times Daily (for subscribers)
JUSTICE MALALA: Say what you want, it’s what we do that really counts – Financial Mail (for subscribers)
EXPLAINER | A look at the proposed Covid-19 regulations now that the state of disaster is over – News24 (for subscribers)
As refugee central, Ukraine’s Lviv lives between air-raid sirens and flashing blue lights – Daily Maverick
