How can an employer cover a domestic worker or small team with health insurance?
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Of the plans we compare, Discovery publishes a Flexicare route for household employers, at the same 2026 premiums as individual Flexicare (R459 a month for Core and R539 for Plus, per main member), and a separate Flexicare route for businesses. Momentum sells Health4Me to employer groups with 5 or more employees who earn less than R40,000 a month, and the employer chooses how much of the premium to pay. A household with one domestic worker does not meet Momentum's stated group size, but the worker can buy individual Health4Me.
In short
- Discovery Flexicare has a household employer brochure for household employees. It states no minimum number of employees.
- Momentum Health4Me's employer route needs 5 or more employees earning less than R40,000 a month. The employer is the policyholder and picks a subsidy of 0% to 100%.
- On Flexicare the worker gets the same benefits as an individual member. On the Health4Me employer route, the GP visit rules and premiums differ from individual Health4Me.
- These are health insurance policies, not medical aid.
This is not a medical scheme and the cover is not the same as that of a medical scheme. This policy is not a substitute for medical scheme membership.
Which routes are available for employers?
| Item | Discovery Flexicare, household employer | Discovery Flexicare, business employer | Momentum Health4Me, employer group |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who it is for | Household employees | Employees "who are unable to access medical scheme benefits" | Employees earning less than R40,000 a month, aged 18 or older, while actively employed |
| Minimum number of employees | Not stated in the 2026 household brochure | Not stated in the 2026 employer brochure | 5 or more |
| Who holds the policy | Not stated in the 2026 household brochure | Not stated in the 2026 employer brochure | The employer (2025 company application form) |
| Who pays | The brochure sets out "Flexicare premiums for your employees" but does not say how the cost is shared | The brochure refers to compulsory and voluntary employers but does not set out a cost split | The employer chooses a subsidy of 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% or 100% |
| Published premiums | Same as individual Flexicare: Core R459, Plus R539 per main member | Flexicare premiums for employer groups are not published in the brochure | Priced per benefit block for each employee, adult and child, in the 2026 Marketing Brochure. These differ from individual Health4Me premiums |
| Family members | Spouse and children, each charged separately | Dependants can be added; each child is charged separately | The employer can choose to extend cover to spouses and children |
| Emergency or hospital add-on | Optional Discovery Emergency Cover, selected by the employer | Optional Discovery Emergency Cover; optional funeral benefit underwritten by Discovery Life | Optional accident and emergency cover, hospital cash and maternity lump sum, and funeral benefit, each priced separately |
What does the worker get?
- On Flexicare: the same Core or Plus benefits as an individual member. Discovery's household leaflet lists the same benefit table: network and virtual GP consultations, medicine from the medicine list, blood tests and x-rays, a health check, maternity and HIV care, and, on Plus, specialist, dentistry and optometry cover. If the employer has selected Emergency Cover, the worker calls Discovery for authorisation of a trauma-related admission.
- On the Health4Me employer route: the employer chooses Bronze, Silver or Gold and any major medical event blocks. Momentum's 2026 Marketing Brochure states that each member has 3 network GP visits a year without a Hello Doctor pre-authorisation, after which Hello Doctor pre-authorisation unlocks further visits. The employer can pay extra for a GP visits booster, which removes the pre-authorisation step, and an emergency booster covering 11 additional emergency conditions.
How is the employer route different from individual cover?
| Item | Employer route | Individual policy |
|---|---|---|
| Flexicare price | Household route: same published premiums as individual. Business route: not published | Core R459, Plus R539 per main member |
| Health4Me price | Per benefit block, set for the employer group. Premiums in the 2026 brochure apply to new clients joining in 2026; earlier groups may pay different rates based on the group's risk and demographic profile | Bronze from R709 per main member |
| Health4Me GP visits | 3 visits without pre-authorisation, then Hello Doctor pre-authorisation, unless the employer adds the GP visits booster | Unlimited GP visits at a network GP (individual brochure) |
| Flexicare waiting periods | A two-month waiting period concession for a new employer, or an employer window period, may apply to dependants who join later | Standard waiting periods, unless otherwise approved |
| When cover ends | Health4Me: cover lasts while the employee is actively employed. The employer must report new and departing employees by the 25th of each month | Flexicare: one month of notice. Health4Me: not stated in the 2026 individual brochure |
Who pays, and when?
- Momentum Health4Me (employer): the employer is the policyholder and pays monthly in advance, by debit order on the 1st working day of each month or, for groups with more than 30 employees on benefit, by EFT due on the 1st (2025 company application form). Momentum suspends cover if premiums are not received by the 7th of the month and ends the policy if nothing is received by the 15th of the following month. New rates take effect on 1 January each year, and the employer gives one calendar month of notice to end the policy.
- Discovery Flexicare (household): the 2026 household brochure does not say whose account the premium is collected from or how the cost is shared. Ask the Advisor how the household route is set up and billed.
This page does not cover tax or labour law. Ask a registered tax practitioner how premiums you pay for an employee are treated.
What waiting periods apply to a new employee?
Discovery applies its standard Flexicare waiting periods, unless otherwise approved: 1 month general, 3 months for dentistry and optometry, and 12 months for maternity, HIV and chronic conditions. Newborns added within 90 days of birth join without waiting periods, and a dependant who joins 60 days after the main member has a three-month general waiting period unless a new-employer concession or window period applies. Momentum states that waiting periods may apply to several Health4Me benefits but does not publish their length. See our waiting periods guide for the full table.
Is anything only available to larger employers?
- Discovery lists Healthy Company support and a R180 Prepaid Health voucher only for compulsory and voluntary employers with over 250 employees.
- Momentum's on-site wellness days need a minimum of 50 employees per site.
How can I check this myself?
- Read Discovery's 2026 Household Employer brochure and Momentum's Health4Me employer page, both listed under Sources.
- For Momentum, read the company application form (the version we read is dated 2025): it sets out the subsidy options, payment dates and notice period.
- Ask the Advisor which route fits your household or business, who will hold the policy, and how the premium will be collected.
- Ask for the waiting periods for each employee and dependant in writing.
Common questions
Can I cover one domestic worker on the Momentum Health4Me employer route?
Not according to Momentum. Its employer route is for employer groups with 5 or more employees. Momentum also sells Health4Me to individuals earning less than R40,000 a month, which a worker can take out in their own name.
Can my domestic worker add their children?
On Flexicare, spouse and child dependants can be added and each is charged separately, with no limit on the number of children. On the Momentum employer route, the employer can choose to extend cover to the spouses and children of employees.
Can a worker have Flexicare and a medical aid at the same time?
Discovery states that employees and their dependants cannot be members of a medical scheme administered by Discovery Health and have Flexicare at the same time.
Is this the same as giving my employee medical aid?
No. These are health insurance policies, not medical schemes. They cover day-to-day care at network providers, and hospital cover only through limited emergency add-ons.
Sources
- Discovery, 2026 Flexicare Household Employer brochure (premiums for employees, dependants, waiting periods, eligibility), read 22 October 2026
- Discovery, Flexicare for Household Employees 2026 benefit leaflet, read 22 October 2026
- Discovery, 2026 Flexicare employer brochure (compulsory and voluntary employers, funeral benefit, support for employers with over 250 employees), read 22 October 2026
- Discovery, Flexicare product page (individual premiums, dependants), read 22 October 2026
- Momentum, Health4Me employer page (eligibility, extending cover to family, how to join), read 22 October 2026
- Momentum, Health4Me Marketing Brochure 2026 (employer groups: eligibility, building blocks, GP rules, premiums for new clients), read 22 October 2026
- Momentum, Health4Me company application form, 2025 version (policyholder, membership type, employer subsidy, payment and notice rules), read 22 October 2026
- Momentum, Health4Me for Individuals brochure 2026, read 22 October 2026