Discovery Health releases claims data for maternity claims

• In 2018, there were a total of 38 194 deliveries on Discovery Health Medical Scheme (DHMS or the Scheme). This represents approximately 64% of all babies born onto an open medical scheme during 2017.
• The total amount paid by the Scheme for deliveries in 2018 was R1.5 billion
• The average cost of a delivery is R38 968, with the most expensive delivery costing R2.3million for a 35 years old member that stayed in hospital for over 70 days

The latest Discovery Health Healthcare Claims Tracker focuses on maternity claims, quantifying the spend by Discovery Health Medical Scheme (DHMS, or the Scheme) on maternity related claims and highlighting key trends amongst members. The report includes data based on all claims within South Africa’s largest, open medical scheme, DHMS, with a membership of 2.8 million lives as at the end of 2018.

About 100 DHMS babies were born daily in South Africa over the last decade. “The total number of deliveries increased by 24% from 2008 to 2014, following which the number of deliveries has decreased marginally to 38 194 in 2018. The increase over the period is primarily due to the 42% growth in the number of members on the Scheme” says Chris Jones, Head of Technical Marketing for Discovery Health.

Report by Discovery Health