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Discovery Health Medical Scheme

Discovery Health Medical Scheme is an open scheme, so anyone can join. Its plans are grouped into series (KeyCare, Smart, Core, Saver, Priority, Comprehensive and Executive) that mainly differ in which hospitals you can use and how much day-to-day cover you get.

Plans: 25
From: R1 350
Up to: R12 338

Monthly premium for the main member, 2026.

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Discovery Health plans for 2026

Hospital only (2)

Covers you when you're admitted. Day-to-day costs are mostly yours.

Active Smart

Hospital onlyLowest Smart premium

R1 350

per month, main member

Best for: Young healthy individuals wanting affordable hospital-only cover

Hospitals: Dynamic Smart Hospital Network (via Ask Discovery)
Day-to-day: Personal Health Fund (PHF) — up to R12,000/year by completing health actions
Chronic meds: Full CDL — all 27 conditions covered via network pharmacy

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Essential Smart

Hospital onlyMost popular Smart plan

R2 161

per month, main member

Best for: Middle-income earners wanting solid hospital cover at lower cost

Hospitals: Smart Hospital Network
Day-to-day: Personal Health Fund (PHF) — up to R12,000/year by completing health actions
Chronic meds: Full CDL — all 27 conditions covered via network pharmacy

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Network plans (12)

Cheaper, but you must use the scheme's chosen hospitals and doctors.

Essential Dynamic Smart

Network plansBest value Smart plan

R1 797

per month, main member

Best for: Budget-conscious members willing to use a restricted hospital network

Hospitals: Dynamic Smart Hospital Network (via Ask Discovery)
Day-to-day: Personal Health Fund (PHF) — up to R12,000/year by completing health actions
Chronic meds: Full CDL — all 27 conditions covered via network pharmacy

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KeyCare Core

Network plansEntry-level KeyCare network cover

R1 859

per month, main member

Best for: Members wanting the most affordable Discovery cover with network restrictions

Hospitals: KeyCare designated network hospitals/GPs
Day-to-day: No Medical Savings Account

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KeyCare Start Regional

Network plansMost affordable — regional network only

R1 932

per month, main member

Best for: Members in a specific region wanting Discovery's lowest-cost plan

Hospitals: KeyCare Start Regional network hospitals/GPs
Day-to-day: No Medical Savings Account

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KeyCare Start

Network plansDiscovery's most affordable core plan

R2 107

per month, main member

Best for: Members wanting Discovery's most affordable core KeyCare plan

Hospitals: KeyCare designated network hospitals/GPs
Day-to-day: No Medical Savings Account

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Essential Delta Core

Network plansMost affordable Core-tier option

R2 681

per month, main member

Best for: Most affordable Core-tier option for members who can commit to the Delta network

Hospitals: Discovery Delta Core Network hospitals
Day-to-day: No Medical Savings Account

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KeyCare Plus

Network plansDiscovery's KeyCare Plus network option

R2 695

per month, main member

Best for: Members wanting Discovery's broadest KeyCare option at an entry-level premium

Hospitals: KeyCare designated network hospitals/GPs
Day-to-day: No Medical Savings Account

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Classic Delta Core

Network plansLower-cost Delta network option

R3 126

per month, main member

Best for: Budget-conscious members wanting a lower-cost Core-tier network option

Hospitals: Discovery Delta Core Network hospitals
Day-to-day: No Medical Savings Account

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Coastal Core

Network plansNetwork cover for coastal residents

R3 250

per month, main member

Best for: Coastal province residents wanting network hospital cover without a savings account

Hospitals: Coastal Core Network hospitals (WC, EC, NC, KZN)
Day-to-day: No Medical Savings Account

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Essential Core

Network plansBudget network hospital cover

R3 356

per month, main member

Best for: Budget-conscious members wanting network-hospital cover without a savings account

Hospitals: Discovery Core Network hospitals
Day-to-day: No Medical Savings Account

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Classic Core

Network plansNetwork hospital cover, no savings account

R3 905

per month, main member

Best for: Budget-conscious members wanting network-hospital cover without a savings account

Hospitals: Discovery Core Network hospitals
Day-to-day: No Medical Savings Account

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Essential Priority

Network plansLower-cost Priority network option

R5 327

per month, main member

Best for: Budget-conscious members wanting Priority network cover with a savings account

Hospitals: Priority Series negotiated-rate network hospitals
Day-to-day: Medical Savings Account — R9,432/yr main member

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Classic Priority

Network plansNegotiated-rate network cover

R6 198

per month, main member

Best for: Members comfortable using Priority Series network hospitals for lower premiums than Comprehensive

Hospitals: Priority Series negotiated-rate network hospitals
Day-to-day: Medical Savings Account — R18,285/yr main member

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Hospital + savings (7)

Hospital cover plus a savings pot for GP visits, meds and more.

Essential Smart Saver

Hospital + savings

R2 750

per month, main member

Best for: Budget-conscious members wanting network hospital cover, a small savings account and unlimited network GP visits

Hospitals: Smart Hospital Network (restricted network)
Day-to-day: Medical Savings Account (R2,316/yr main member) + PHF up to R6,000 base (up to R12,000 with challenge boosts). Plus unlimited Smart network GP visits (R130 co-payment each), OTC medicine up to R605/family; acute medicine from MSA/PHF
Chronic meds: Full CDL — 27 conditions in full on formulary at a network pharmacy; non-formulary covered up to the reference price. 20% co-payment if you don't use a network pharmacy

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Essential Delta Saver

Hospital + savingsMost affordable Saver

R3 099

per month, main member

Best for: Most affordable Saver option — MSA + Delta hospital network restriction

Hospitals: Delta Hospital Network (restricted network)
Day-to-day: Medical Savings Account 10% of contribution (R3,648/yr main member) + PHF up to R6,000
Chronic meds: Full CDL in full on formulary; non-formulary covered to Generic Reference Price

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Classic Smart Saver

Hospital + savings

R3 350

per month, main member

Best for: Members wanting Smart-network hospital cover plus a savings account and unlimited network GP visits

Hospitals: Smart Hospital Network (restricted network)
Day-to-day: Medical Savings Account (R2,820/yr main member) + PHF up to R10,000 base (up to R20,000 with challenge boosts). Plus unlimited Smart network GP visits (R75 co-payment each), OTC medicine up to R905/family, acute medicine R1,970/person
Chronic meds: Full CDL — 27 conditions in full on formulary at a network pharmacy; non-formulary covered up to the reference price. 20% co-payment if you don't use a network pharmacy

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Classic Delta Saver

Hospital + savingsDelta network saving

R3 875

per month, main member

Best for: Members wanting MSA savings + lower premium via Delta hospital network

Hospitals: Delta Hospital Network (restricted network)
Day-to-day: Medical Savings Account 20% of contribution (R9,147/yr main member) + PHF up to R10,000
Chronic meds: Full CDL in full on formulary; non-formulary covered to Generic Reference Price

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Essential Saver

Hospital + savingsMost popular Saver plan

R3 886

per month, main member

Best for: Families wanting open hospital access + MSA buffer at a mid-range premium

Hospitals: Open — any Discovery-approved private hospital
Day-to-day: Medical Savings Account 10% of contribution (R4,581/yr main member) + PHF up to R6,000
Chronic meds: Full CDL in full on formulary; non-formulary covered to Generic Reference Price

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Coastal Saver

Hospital + savingsBest for coastal residents

R4 098

per month, main member

Best for: Coastal province residents wanting MSA + lower premium than Classic Saver

Hospitals: Coastal Hospital Network (WC, EC, NC, KZN)
Day-to-day: Medical Savings Account 15% of contribution (R7,233/yr main member) + PHF up to R6,000
Chronic meds: Full CDL in full on formulary; non-formulary covered to Generic Reference Price

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Classic Saver

Hospital + savingsOpen network + MSA rollover

R4 850

per month, main member

Best for: Higher earners wanting open hospital access + savings account that rolls over

Hospitals: Open — any Discovery-approved private hospital
Day-to-day: Medical Savings Account 20% of contribution (R11,448/yr main member) + PHF up to R10,000
Chronic meds: Full CDL in full on formulary; non-formulary covered to Generic Reference Price

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Comprehensive (4)

The most cover: hospital, day-to-day and extras.

Classic Smart

ComprehensiveMost comprehensive Smart

R3 018

per month, main member

Best for: Professionals wanting premium cover with open hospital access

Hospitals: Smart Hospital Network
Day-to-day: Personal Health Fund (PHF) — up to R22,000/year by completing health actions
Chronic meds: Full CDL — all 27 conditions covered via network pharmacy

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Classic Smart Comprehensive

ComprehensiveComprehensive cover via Smart network

R8 576

per month, main member

Best for: Members wanting comprehensive cover at a lower premium via the Smart hospital network

Hospitals: Discovery Smart Network hospitals
Day-to-day: Medical Savings Account — R15,147/yr main member

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Classic Comprehensive

ComprehensiveComprehensive open-network cover

R10 037

per month, main member

Best for: Members wanting comprehensive open-network cover just below Executive tier

Hospitals: Open — any Discovery-approved private hospital
Day-to-day: Medical Savings Account — R29,550/yr main member

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Executive

ComprehensiveDiscovery's top tier — zero restrictions

R12 338

per month, main member

Best for: Highest earners wanting the most comprehensive cover with no network restrictions

Hospitals: Open — any Discovery-approved private hospital
Day-to-day: Medical Savings Account — R36,327/yr main member

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