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Bonitas Confirms 8.8% Medical Aid Hike in 2026 and Delivers New Plans

Published

3 hours ago

September 23, 2025

Chiraag

Bonitas 2026 medical aid increase, South Africa medical inflation, BonCore plan benefits, BonPrime savings option, healthcare cost pressures, CMS guidance limits, new plan launch Joburg ETC

In Joburg, Cape Town, Durban, and beyond, people are already asking how they’ll cope. Bonitas has just made official what many suspected: in 2026, their medical aid contributions will rise by 8.8% on average across their plans. That outpaces many inflation estimates and regulatory suggestions, but there are new offerings aimed at younger and budget-conscious members.

What’s behind the increase

Bonitas supports over 730,000 beneficiaries and is the second-largest open medical scheme in South Africa. The hike reflects a host of pressures: growing medical inflation, rising claims, utilisation patterns (people using more healthcare services), and fewer younger, healthier members in the mix. Bonitas says each benefit adjustment was shaped by actual member data and claims.

Regulators, via the Council for Medical Schemes (CMS), had urged providers to tie 2026 increases closely to inflation. The CMS proposed a base rate of about 3.3% plus “reasonable utilisation estimates.” Given that typical medical inflation is higher than consumer inflation (often by 2–3 percentage points), a “reasonable” total increase would be between 5.4% and 6.8%. Bonitas’ 8.8% jump is well above that.

Introducing BonCore and BonPrime

To soften the blow for some members, Bonitas is launching two new plans:

BonCore is built for those aged about 22-35, price sensitive, and digitally inclined. It offers unlimited hospital cover via a network of hospitals, virtual-first primary care, some face-to-face GP visits, preventative screening, and a R1 000 Benefit Booster to help with basic dentistry, radiology, pathology, or acute medicine. It’s priced at R1 275 per beneficiary.
BonPrime evolves from the old Primary Select option. It keeps the hospital network approach but adds a 16% medical savings account component to give more flexibility with day-to-day expenses.

These new plans aim to give members more choice depending on their life stage and budget.

What this means for members

If you’re already on a Bonitas plan, expect your monthly premium to increase by around 8.8% in most cases. Some “strategic options” will have less steep rises. Young single people, couples without children, or small households may find BonCore appealing because its equal contributions make costs more predictable.

There’s also a broader concern: as medical aids push past inflation, many fear that medical care will become unaffordable for more households. On social media, people are comparing Bonitas’ hike with the already rising costs of living, food, fuel, and electricity, and many feel squeezed.

Why it matters beyond Bonitas

This isn’t just about one fund. Trends in medical inflation are feeding into a larger cost-of-living crisis. General inflation is slowly falling, but medical costs, GP visits, hospital stays, treatment, and chronic medication are rising faster. Regulators, scheme members, and employers are all keeping a close eye.

For those weighing options, this may be the time to review your current plan, check what benefits you use most, and see whether switching to one of the new options or another scheme makes sense.