Discovery Health: Essential Core
Hospital Plan
2026 Plan
From R 3 138/monthGet a free callback
Heads up: This is general information, not financial advice. Pricing is sourced from the official Discovery Health 2026 brochure but may change — always confirm directly with Discovery Health before joining.
Monthly Contributions
Main memberR 3 138
Adult dependantR 2 354
Child dependantR 1 260
Max 3 children billed.
Hospital Cover
Limit: Unlimited
Network: Any private hospital
Network name: Any private hospital approved by the Scheme
Chronic Cover
27 conditions covered (27 PMB + 0 additional)
Plan highlights
- Unlimited cover for hospital admissions
- Full cover for chronic medicine
- Comprehensive benefits for maternity and early childhood
- Screening and Prevention Benefit for important health checks
Who is Essential Core for?
- People who only need cover for emergencies and hospitalisation
- Younger, generally healthy members who pay for GP visits and medication out of pocket
This is general guidance. Use our free calculator to see whether this plan matches your specific needs and budget.
What's covered
- Unlimited hospital cover at any private hospital
- 27 chronic conditions (27 PMB + 0 additional)
- All Prescribed Minimum Benefits (PMB) — required by South African law
What to watch out for
- GP consultations (you pay out of pocket)
- Acute medication from your local pharmacy
- Routine dental check-ups and optometry
- Chronic conditions outside the 27 statutory PMB list
- Cosmetic procedures, alternative therapies and certain elective treatments
- Out-of-hospital costs above your annual day-to-day limit (where applicable)
Compare with similar Discovery Health plans
Classic Smart
Network
From R 3 018/month
27 chronic conditions
Restrictive network
Coastal Core
Hospital Plan
From R 3 011/month
27 chronic conditions
Restrictive network
Classic Smart Saver
Savings
From R 3 350/month
27 chronic conditions
Restrictive network
Frequently asked questions
Source: Discovery Core Plan Guide 2026 — accessed 2026-04-28.
Information sourced from Discovery's official 2026 plan guide. Contributions and benefits may change. Always confirm with Discovery before joining.
We are not a financial services provider and do not offer financial advice.