There is little question that government is correct to aspire to a different model for the funding of healthcare, with serious efforts needed to close the current gap in the quality of service available to rich and poor South Africans. However, there is concern that government may be underestimating the cost of the National Health Insurance initiative. A recent report by economics consultancy Econex suggests there could be a shortfall of as much as R200-billion by 2025. However, it should also be noted that Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi disagrees strongly with the calculations.