<p>JOINT DEAL: Discovery principal officer Milton Streak expects only about 100 members to vote at a special general meeting. Picture: RUSSELL ROBERTS</p><p>MEMBERS of South Africa's biggest medical scheme, Discovery, will be asked to vote next week on a proposed merger with IBM SA medical scheme, a deal that would see the industry giant acquiring a large group of pensioners that bring with them substantial cash reserves to offset their higher medical bills.</p><p>The development is the latest example of industry consolidation, which has seen the number of schemes shrink by a third over the past decade as smaller entities struggle to remain financially viable.</p><p>The number of medical schemes declined from 144 in 2000 to just 97 in 2011, according to the Council for Medical Schemes. Discovery Health Medical Scheme (DHMS), which has about 2.5-million beneficiaries, merged with Edcon Group medical scheme in 2011 and is set to amalgamate with Nampak medical scheme next month.</p><p><a href="http://www.bdlive.co.za/business/healthcare/2013/02/14/discovery-and-ibm-sa-members-to-vote-on-merger">Keep reading...</a></p>