National Health Insurance
Provincial Differences in the Amount Needed for Healthcare

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Figure 5: Comparison of Age Profiles of Provinces in 2009

There are substantial differences in the age and gender profile between the provinces which will affect the price or capitated amount needed for healthcare. The Western Cape and Gauteng have more working-age adults and the provinces with fewer economic opportunities have many more children, as shown below.
Figure 5: Comparison of Age Profiles of Provinces in 2009
The Western Cape has a much older profile, with fewer children and more middle to older age adults than the other provinces. This translates in the table below to a price difference of 9.4% more needed in the Western Cape than the price for the country as a whole. By comparison, Limpopo province has a very young profile with many children and few working age and older adults, thus needing 9.2% less for healthcare than the price for the country as a whole.

Table 1: Impact on Price of Healthcare of Provincial Age and Gender Differences

The table shows that each province is expected to need a different amount for the same package of healthcare, due entirely to differences in the age and gender structure. It would also be useful to consider the burden of disease in each province and particularly the differences in HIV prevalence. The technical issue of disease-based payment to providers and provinces is scheduled for discussion in a later policy brief.

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