CompCare Medical Scheme
Open scheme · 45+ years operating · Administered by Universal Healthcare Administrators · CMS-approved solvency recovery plan active
Overview
CompCare Medical Scheme is a registered non-profit open medical scheme regulated by the Council for Medical Schemes under the Medical Schemes Act 131 of 1998. With over 45 years of operating history, CompCare is one of the longer-established mid-tier open schemes in South Africa, serving both individual members and employer groups across its range.
CompCare positions itself around a "caring more" philosophy and a focus on preventative-care and mental wellbeing benefits across its plan range. It operates as an employer-group-oriented scheme — its product suite is specifically designed around corporate benefit structures, with each option targeting a segment of the typical employer group's workforce.
Universal Healthcare Administrators (UHA), a subsidiary of the Universal Healthcare group, administers CompCare on behalf of the Board of Trustees. UHA's administration platform handles claims processing, managed care, and member services across the CompCare membership.
Important context — financial position: CompCare's statutory solvency ratio fell below the 25% minimum required under Regulation 29(2) of the Medical Schemes Act in 2024, declining from 25.14% (2023) to 21.83% (2024). The Scheme operates with full regulatory support: the CMS approved a comprehensive five-year solvency recovery plan in 2024. CompCare continues to meet its claims obligations, and all members retain full PMB entitlements under the Medical Schemes Act regardless of solvency position.
Source: CompCare website; CompCare 2025 Corporate Benefit Guide; Moneyweb — "Two medical schemes fail to maintain prescribed solvency ratio".
Membership Profile
CompCare serves both individual members and employer groups. The Scheme has historically been strongest in the employer group market, where its corporate-focused product design — with plan options clearly tiered from entry-level to executive — aligns well with typical corporate benefit structures. The Universal Healthcare Administrators network provides broker and employer group distribution channels.
Granular membership counts (principal members and beneficiaries) are not publicly disclosed in current CompCare website materials. The Scheme is classified as a mid-to-small open scheme by CMS industry data. Detailed membership statistics are available in the CompCare annual report and the CMS scheme statistics database at medicalschemes.co.za.
Membership requirements
Open to any South African resident. Standard Medical Schemes Act waiting periods (3-month general, 12-month condition-specific) and late-joiner penalties (from age 35) apply.
Source: CompCare 2025 Corporate Benefit Guide; compcare.co.za.
Financial Health
CompCare's solvency ratio crossed below the 25% statutory minimum in 2024, declining from 25.14% in 2023 to 21.83% in 2024. This followed a period of claims pressure and cost inflation consistent with the broader open-scheme market. The CMS approved a comprehensive five-year solvency recovery plan in 2024 — a structured regulatory engagement that allows CompCare to continue operating while rebuilding reserves over an agreed timeline.
A CMS-approved recovery plan is meaningfully different from curatorship: CompCare retains its governance structure and continues ordinary operations. The recovery plan sets annual solvency milestones and requires the scheme to demonstrate progress toward the 25% minimum over the five-year period. The CMS monitors progress against these milestones and can intervene if targets are not met.
For existing and prospective members: PMB cover is protected under the Medical Schemes Act regardless of solvency position. The recovery plan represents regulatory engagement, not regulatory crisis — but prospective members should factor the solvency position and recovery trajectory into their decision alongside benefit and premium comparisons with financially stronger competitors.
Source: Moneyweb — "Two medical schemes fail to maintain prescribed solvency ratio"; CMS Industry Report 2024; CompCare 2025 Corporate Benefit Guide.
Plans & Options
CompCare's plan range is structured around four named options — Symmetry, Mumed, Selfsure, and UniSave — each targeting a different employer group tier, from entry-level workers through to professional and executive segments. From 1 January 2024, the Scheme introduced unlimited in-hospital PMB cover on Symmetry, Mumed, and Selfsure, and unlimited PMB cover for joint surgery and joint replacements on UniSave — a meaningful benefit enhancement at mid-tier and above.
| Plan | Category | Network model | Key feature |
|---|---|---|---|
| UniSave | Entry-level / network | DSP network | Hospital + 27 PMB CDL; unlimited PMB joint surgery (from 2024) |
| Selfsure | Mid-tier comprehensive | Hybrid | Day-to-day + hospital; unlimited in-hospital PMB cover (from 2024) |
| Mumed | Comprehensive | Hybrid | Broader day-to-day and chronic; unlimited in-hospital PMB cover |
| Symmetry | Top-tier comprehensive | Any-provider / broad | Highest benefit limits; unlimited in-hospital PMB cover; designed around executives |
Source: CompCare 2026 Plans; CompCare 2025 Corporate Benefit Guide.
Key Benefits & Differentiators
Unlimited in-hospital PMB cover on Symmetry, Mumed, and Selfsure. From 2024, CompCare removed rand limits on in-hospital PMB treatment on these three plans — meaning members admitted for a PMB condition are not exposed to a benefit cap during hospitalisation. This is a meaningful clinical protection, particularly for complex, multi-day hospital admissions for conditions like cardiac surgery, major joint surgery, or serious trauma.
Unlimited PMB joint surgery cover on UniSave. The 2024 UniSave enhancement extended unlimited PMB cover to joint surgery and joint replacements — addressing a common high-cost procedure category for the entry-to-mid-tier market, where members are more exposed to co-payments on network-based plans.
Preventative-care emphasis. CompCare's product philosophy emphasises preventive benefits for both physical and mental wellbeing. This includes wellness screenings, chronic condition management programmes, and an emphasis on early-intervention benefits across all plan tiers.
Mental health cover. CompCare includes defined mental health benefits across its plan range. Higher-tier plans (Mumed, Symmetry) extend to outpatient psychology and psychiatry consultations within defined annual limits. This reflects the Scheme's "caring more" positioning around holistic health.
PMB and chronic disease compliance. All plans cover the 27 Prescribed Minimum Benefit Chronic Disease List conditions at legislated cost. Mid-tier and above extend to a broader chronic list with formulary-managed medication access.
Employer group product design. The four-plan range is intentionally structured to suit corporate benefit tiers — from entry-level workforce cover (UniSave) through to executive-level options (Symmetry), making CompCare straightforward to position as a corporate scheme alongside graded employee benefits.
Source: CompCare 2025 Corporate Benefit Guide; compcare.co.za; CMS Industry Report 2024.
Wellness & Loyalty
CompCare includes preventive-care and wellness benefits across all plans, administered through Universal Healthcare's wellness platform. The Scheme's wellness emphasis covers annual health screenings, chronic condition monitoring, mental health support resources, and disease management programmes for conditions with high prevalence in the working-age population.
CompCare does not operate a separate consumer wellness rewards programme (such as Vitality). Wellness benefits are embedded within the plan design and UHA's managed-care framework.
Source: CompCare 2025 Corporate Benefit Guide; compcare.co.za wellness pages.
Claims & Service
Claims are administered by Universal Healthcare Administrators via electronic provider submissions, the CompCare member portal and app, and manual submission channels. Employer groups are typically supported by dedicated broker and UHA account management contacts.
Dispute resolution follows the Medical Schemes Act process: internal dispute committee → CMS adjudication for unresolved matters. Members may also engage CompCare through the CMS complaints process if they are dissatisfied with internal resolution outcomes.
Source: CompCare website; compcare.co.za contact pages.
How the Scheme Is Set Up
Employer groups in the Universal Healthcare ecosystem: CompCare's corporate-facing product design and UHA administrator relationship make it set up for employer groups that already engage with Universal Healthcare for other employee benefits, or broker networks aligned with UHA's distribution model.
Members who value unlimited in-hospital PMB protection (Symmetry / Mumed / Selfsure): The unlimited in-hospital PMB cover is a genuine differentiator for members in the mid-to-top tier of the CompCare range, providing meaningful protection for complex hospitalisation scenarios without benefit caps.
Budget-conscious corporate members needing basic network cover (UniSave): UniSave's unlimited joint surgery PMB cover is useful for the entry-level corporate employee segment — particularly in employer groups with an older or physically active workforce where joint procedures are more common.
A practical consideration on financial position: Prospective members should review CompCare's solvency recovery plan progress alongside the benefit comparison. The solvency position is below statutory minimum, and while recovery plans are structured regulatory tools (not crisis indicators), financially stronger competitors in the mid-tier open scheme market may be preferable for risk-averse members. Current members retain full PMB protection regardless of solvency.
Source: CompCare 2025 Corporate Benefit Guide; Moneyweb; CMS Industry Report 2024.