Membership milestone

The Government Employees Medical Scheme (GEMS), a registered medical scheme specifically for public service employees launched in January 2006, has experienced phenomenal growth, with 300 new members joining per day over the past month.

GEMS' Principal Officer, Dr Eugene Watson, says that membership now stands at 20 000 families or 50 000 individuals, forty percent of which had previously not had medical cover, with the other sixty  percent having voted with their feet, moving from other medical schemes.

"I am excited to see the upsurge in confidence by government employees. GEMS has not only grown but has shown an increasing daily growth rate for more than 200 consecutive days. Members like what we have to offer, no frills, value for money and, more importantly, real savings" he says.

Watson attributed this growth to the comprehensive roll-out of the scheme's communications plan and member enrolment initiatives, as well as growing awareness of the new 75 percent subsidy for government employees. Those who earn more than R60 000 a year receive a 75 percent subsidy up to a maximum of R1 900 a month for a family of 5 on GEMS.

Gary McKenzie, specialist negotiator with the Department of Public Service and Administration, moved to GEMS at the beginning of July. He said "I switched because my contribution is less. I make a saving of R620 per month and I then also enjoy the government subsidy, which puts more in my pocket at the end of the month. Moreover, I did not have a waiting period during the handover and had immediate access to benefits, which suited my family's needs."

Civil servants who are already members of open medical schemes continue to get a subsidy of up to R1 014 a month. A further measure to promote access to GEMS for all employees includes the 100 percent subsidy that employees earning below R60,000 and joining GEMS' Sapphire option are eligible for. Sapphire offers essential day-to-day benefits at a private network of providers which includes GP visits, dentistry, x-rays, blood tests, maternity visits as well as a hospital benefit applicable to the public sector institutions.

Watson said that there are about 325 000 employees in the public sector who earn less than R60 000 a year. Of those, an estimated 200 000 do not currently have any kind of medical scheme cover. He encouraged employees to find out more about GEMS directly by contacting 0860 00 4367.

GEMS is administered by the Metropolitan Health Group, which is the healthcare business of the JSE-listed Metropolitan Holdings Ltd, a company with assets of R45bn under management.