How to Look at Medical Aid Schemes Quotes
It may be difficult to compare medical aid schemes quotes if you are unsure what you need. When browsing for medical aid schemes quotes consider the:
- Number of dependants.
- Ages of the dependants.
- Health condition and history of the dependants.
- Your age.
- Your medical history and current medical health.
- Your budget.
- Whether you have belonged to another medical aid in the past.
- Whether you will need to have day-to-day cover.
- Whether you or your dependants participate in dangerous sports.
- Whether you spend a lot of time on the road and are thus at higher risk of being involved in a vehicle accident.
The above has to do with you and your immediate family. Next you need to consider what you want in a medical aid:
- Affordability.
- Comprehensiveness of cover.
- Stability.
- Easy communication.
- Value-added free services.
- Easy claiming process.
- Reputation of the medical aid.
Note that in South Africa medical aids are strictly regulated and operate under the regulations of the Medical Schemes Act of South Africa. As such, no medical aid can be operated for profit. This means that the schemes which must be registered, will not attempt to make money from you. They all offer the Prescribed Minimum Benefits which cover emergency treatments and a list of chronic conditions. You will notice differences when it comes to the upper limits of cover and the structuring of packages.
Review the medical aid scheme quotes thus based on your own profile and what they offer apart from PMBs. Next review how much they charge per member and dependant. Scheme prices differ for a number of reasons including:
- Package structuring.
- Add-on benefits offered.
- Total number of members.
- Financial stability of the fund.
- How much the scheme had to pay out the previous years for particular benefits.
- Service providers they use.
Price is just one factor to consider. Other factors as mentioned include comprehensiveness of cover, upper limits, claiming process, information provision, communication channels, reputation at service providers and the extensiveness of the DSP network. It is for instance, of little value to you to have a medical aid that does not have a national network of high quality service providers who charge reasonable prices for their products and services.
When it comes to add-on benefits you will notice large differences among medical aid schemes. Some will offer you discount on gym membership while others give free holidays. The schemes that have your health interests in mind will offer health related free add-on benefits which will help you to minimise long term health risks, reduce the costs associated with pregnancy and ensure that your children will have access to emergency medical help even if you are not with them.
KeyHealth does well on all aspects. Apart from being a well-established medical aid that offers several benefits packages to suit your particular budget and health profile, we have add-on free benefits that are relevant, such as the Health Booster Plan, Easy-ER, and the Smart Baby Programme. We offer you several communication channels, easy claiming where relevant, direct payment to service providers, an audit trail of services used, and clear and concise quotes.
