Health Funders Association

What Health Funders Association does

Health Funders Association (HFA) is a South African non-profit industry association founded in 2015 and headquartered in Johannesburg. It represents 20 medical schemes and 3 administrators covering approximately 45% of the country's private healthcare market and 4.1 million beneficiaries. HFA's core function is collective advocacy and policy engagement on behalf of its members, addressing regulatory matters including National Health Insurance (NHI) implementation, Prescribed Minimum Benefits (PMB) cost escalation, fraud/waste/abuse management, IFRS 17 compliance, and medical tax credits.

HFA's product and service portfolio includes policy advocacy and representation, a Technical Advisory Committee providing specialized guidance, a six-module online Trustee Training Programme launched in 2024, the 'Building the Health System We Deserve' podcast series launched in 2025, the biannual 'HFA Matters' newsletter, consultative forums, and legal support services. The organization maintains institutional partnerships with Business Unity South Africa, an MOU with the Council for Medical Schemes, and representation on the FWA Advisory Committee and PMB Review Committee. Legal support is anchored by ENSafrica and Senior Counsels Adila Hassim and Wim Trengove, with research support from Genesis Analytics.

HFA's business model is membership-fee-based, with revenue generated from medical scheme and administrator members. Distribution is direct, operating as a single-country (South Africa) entity with a small staff (1-10 employees). The organization has no external investors or parent company and is governed by a Board of Directors composed of member representatives.

Name

Health Funders Association

Legal name

Health Funders Association

Website

https://hfassociation.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Health Funders Association is a South African non-profit industry association founded in 2015 that represents 20 medical schemes and 3 administrators covering 45% of the country's private healthcare market, providing collective policy advocacy, regulatory engagement, trustee training, and legal support on issues including NHI, PMBs, and fraud management.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Healthcare Industry Association

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Health and Welfare Funds (525120)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Hospital & Medical Service Plans (6324)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHLAJACAF

Health Technology Assessment (HTA) & Reimbursement Policy Bodies

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Public Health, Government & Regulators/Health Policy, Regulation & Compliance Authorities

SECONDARYHLAJANAL

Economic Evaluation & Health Technology Assessment (Public Programs)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Public Health, Government & Regulators/Health Program Evaluation & Surveillance

Keywords

• Healthcare funding advocacy
• Medical scheme representation
• Trustee training programme
• Healthcare policy advocacy
• Industry association services

Headquarters

HQ city

Johannesburg

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Technology or R&D

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Health Funders Association (HFA) is a non-profit industry association that represents 20 medical schemes and 3 administrators covering 45% of South Africa's private healthcare market. It delivers policy advocacy and regulatory representation to members, a six-module online Trustee Training Programme, the "Building the Health System We Deserve" podcast series, the biannual "HFA Matters" newsletter, member consultative forums, technical advisory services, and legal support including litigation on NHI constitutionality and PCR pricing.

Product overview

The Health Funders Association is a non-profit industry association (not a technology product company) providing advocacy, training, and engagement services to the private healthcare funding sector in South Africa. The organization operates as a unified platform offering Trustee Training (a six-module online programme), the 'Building the Health System We Deserve' podcast series, the HFA Matters newsletter, policy advocacy and representation, Technical Advisory Committee expertise, NHI engagement services, consultative forums, and legal support. These services work together to support the organization's mission of advocating for a vibrant and sustainable private health funding industry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Trustee Training Programme Online self-paced training programme comprising six video-based modules covering medical scheme governance, financial soundness, prescribed minimum benefits, managed care, trustee responsibilities, and benefit design, targeted at medical scheme trustees and governance officials.
• Building the Health System We Deserve Podcast Podcast series featuring conversations with leading thinkers, industry experts, and changemakers exploring healthcare reform ideas and practical solutions, distributed via YouTube and Spotify.
• HFA Matters Newsletter Biannual industry newsletter providing key updates and insights on pressing issues facing the South African healthcare funding industry, distributed to members and stakeholders.
• Policy Advocacy and Representation Advocacy services representing member interests on critical policy and regulatory matters, including submissions to government, engagement with regulators, and participation in industry discussions through Business Unity South Africa.
• Technical Advisory Committee Expert guidance service providing members with specialized industry insights on complex technical issues affecting the healthcare funding sector, including legal, policy, governance, financial, and regulatory matters.
• NHI Engagement Services Dual strategy of constructive engagement and legal response to the National Health Insurance Act, including litigation, member communications, media engagement, and stakeholder outreach on behalf of medical schemes and administrators.
• Consultative Forums Forum-based engagement service providing members with platforms for industry collaboration and exchange of ideas, including member scheme visits, working group meetings, and the annual HFA Conference and Scenario Planning Symposium.
• Legal Support Services Member access to comprehensive legal opinions and representation on key industry matters, including the NHI legal challenge, PCR pricing case, RAF tariff disputes, and Section 59(3) Medical Schemes Act matters.

Quantifiable outcome

• Medical schemes recover approximately R1 billion annually through fraud, waste, and abuse management initiatives facilitated by HFA
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Business Unity South Africa (BUSA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015HFA is a proud member of Business Unity South Africa (BUSA), leveraging this platform to extend its advocacy efforts nationally and participate in broader business coalition activities on healthcare and economic policy.
• Council for Medical SchemescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHFA has signed an MOU with the Council for Medical Schemes, strengthening the relationship and enabling open and robust dialogue on pressing industry matters. HFA is also represented on the PMB Review Committee.
• ENSafricacoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerENSafrica leads HFA's litigation strategy against the NHI Act, supported by Senior Counsels Adila Hassim and Wim Trengove. The legal team is supported by research from Genesis Analytics and actuarial/economic expertise.
• Genesis AnalyticscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGenesis Analytics conducts research underpinning HFA's legal arguments and NHI litigation strategy, supported by actuarial and economic expertise.
• FWA Advisory CommitteecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHFA is a member of the FWA Advisory Committee, contributing to critical policy guidelines and endorsing the FWA Charter, HFA Code of Good Practice, and SOP for fund recoveries from health service providers.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Discovery Health (Medical Scheme): Largest open medical scheme administrator in South Africa and HFA member (Charlotte Mbewu, DHMS Principal Officer, is HFA Vice Chair). Comparable only as a funder-side counterparty HFA represents — not a peer in the association sense, but materially relevant to HFA's mandate.
• Business Unity South Africa (BUSA): South Africa's apex business coalition of which HFA is a member. Comparable as a broader umbrella advocacy platform, and directly relevant as the vehicle through which HFA extends its policy reach on NHI, tax credits, and economic policy.
• Council for Medical Schemes (CMS): Statutory regulator of South African medical schemes with which HFA holds a formal MOU. Not a peer but the most relevant counterpart organisation, given HFA's regulatory engagement mandate and CMS representation on the PMB Review Committee.

Direct peers

• Private Healthcare Australia: Australian peak industry body representing private health insurers, advocating on policy, regulation, and funding issues affecting the private healthcare market. Closest international functional analogue to HFA in representing private funders against national health reform agendas.
• Board of Healthcare Funders of Southern Africa: Africa's longest-standing healthcare funders' industry association, representing medical schemes, administrators, and managed care organisations across Southern Africa. Direct comparable in mandate (advocacy for private healthcare funding) and member base, with HFA effectively functioning as the focused South African counterpart.
• International Federation of Health Plans: Global industry body for healthcare payers and funders, focused on cross-border policy comparison, benchmarking, and advocacy. Comparable in representing funder-side stakeholders across multiple jurisdictions.
• AHIP (America's Health Insurance Plans): US national trade association representing health insurance providers, advocating on federal policy, regulation, and market structure. Comparable in advocacy-led membership model serving health insurers/funders at scale.

Regional players

• South African Medical Association (SAMA): South Africa's doctors' professional association, engaging on healthcare policy, NHI implementation, and funding matters alongside HFA. Comparable as a domestic health-sector membership association influencing healthcare policy and regulator engagement.
• Hospital Association of South Africa (HASA): Domestic South African industry association representing private and public hospital groups on funding, regulatory, and tariff matters. Comparable in operating geography and advocacy-on-policy model, with HFA being the funder-side counterpart to HASA's provider-side mandate.
• Association for Savings and Investment South Africa (ASISA): South African life insurance and investment industry association with a similar membership-funded advocacy model. Comparable as a domestic industry body engaging regulators and Treasury on policy affecting member product offerings and tax treatment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@healthfundersassociation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/health-funders-association

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Health Funders Association