Why You Need Health Cover in South Africa

There are some expenses in your life that you can scrap if your budget is tight, but health cover isn’t one of them. Spend time in a government hospital and you’ll be convinced by this statement. That is, if you make it out alive to tell the tale.

Having a stroke for instance without medical aid will give you a terrifying perspective on the public healthcare system in South Africa.

Are you aware of what medical treatment costs?

Without good medical aid or health insurance if you were to become seriously ill, be injured or have the doctor tell you that you have a life-threatening disease, how are you going to pay for the medical costs involved?

Have you done research to see what medical treatments and medicines cost these days? Even some vitamin supplements that people take to try and stay healthy cost close to R1000 a bottle. Principal officer of Fedhealth, Jeremy Yatt tells us that medical costs can cripple you.

Even if you have absolutely no other options and you just have to make use of a state hospital, if your household income is a certain amount, you will still have to pay up.

Good news if your company subsidizes medical aid

If you work for a company that wonderfully still offers a medical aid subsidy as an awesome employment benefit, you can be eternally grateful as this is a huge perk.

Of course, South Africa offers people different kinds of medical cover. It is why research is so important. Even among the different medical aid plans you get choices.

There are some that cater to people with tight budgets and there are others where the premiums are worked out according to the salary you earn. If you’re a low earner or even a student, the premium will be as low as can possibly be.

There are also hospital plans and these are jolly good value. But here again, you need to do thorough research as some of these hospital plans don’t cover your day-to-day medical expenses.

Choosing one of these hospital plans can also be difficult because all the medical schemes offer hospital plans. They provide cover for treatment when you land up in hospital. You’ll usually find that the likes of theatre costs, blood tests, x-rays and medication are covered.

Be wary of some healthcare plans

Don’t be confused because medical insurance also offers these hospital cash plans – the names can be confusing – but these are not the same as a medical scheme hospital plan.

These kinds of plans usually pay you a certain amount each day you’re in hospital. You have to be careful because payment might only be counted from day 3 for instance.

This means that if you’re in hospital for 2 days, you aren’t going to receive a payment.

There are many different kinds of healthcare cover options in South Africa. Choosing one isn’t a decision made in a couple of minutes. It requires intensive research because budget and medical needs have to be factored in. If you have medical aid, you might consider getting supplementary gap cover.

One this is sure though, being without good medical care can be life-threatening in South Africa, and belonging to a good medical scheme isn’t just a good idea, it is of critical importance.

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