Who Should Take Out a Hospital Plan?
A hospital plan is is like a lifeline thrown to cash-strapped South Africans who can no longer afford an expensive medical aid. You should take out a hospital plan now, is our advice.
Stay in a government hospital in South Africa for a week or two, and you will take out a hospital plan immediately – that is if you emerge alive to actually carry your plan through.
Any South African who does not have comprehensive medical aid should take out a hospital plan right away.
There are benefits to having a hospital plan. Perhaps the biggest benefit comes from knowing that your family doesn’t have to find pots of money to pay for something you are responsible for.
A stay in hospital, even for a day or two, can cripple anyone financially. The reason is not just the stay in hospital which sets you back, but the fees for the specialists as well.
By planning ahead with a hospital plan, you ensure that your hospital stay is one of recuperation instead of one fraught with anxiety and stress.
There are even comprehensive hospital plans which are available to HIV positive people. This is a policy worthwhile considering for an HIV positive person, as a stay in hospital with this disease can be long, involved and costly.
Take Out a Hospital Plan – Know the Differences
There are two kinds of hospital plans –
►the medical aid hospital plan
►the hospital cash back plan
The medical aid hospital plan pays for medical bills when you are in hospital. You are not paid in cash. On the other hand the hospital cash back plan is an insurance policy that pays you cash for each day that you are in hospital.
- A hospital cash back plan costs may be more affordable but the cheaper ones most likely won’t cover the medical bills if you are hospitalised in a pricey private hospital. You can use the cash you receive to pay for your medical bills. Your kind of requirements will determine which hospital plan you opt for as both have their unique differences, their advantages as well as disadvantages.
- A medical aid hospital plan pays for your treatments according to the NHRPL rate while you are in hospital. Another advantage with a medical aid hospital plan is that they most often pay for chronic medication as well, allowing you to have access to treatments even when you’re not in hospital.
A medical aid hospital plan in South Africa can start at the affordable rate of R600 a month. Remember that if you choose a cheaper hospital plan, you are restricted to make use of certain hospitals. Both the medical aid hospital plan as well as the hospital cash back plan have different waiting periods before you can start benefiting from them.
Look at Selfmed’s MEDXXI option for instance. Selfmed is a registered, open medical aid scheme, and their affordable hospital plan offers unlimited hospital cover at any of their prescribed hospitals, paid at 100% of the so-called Agreed Tariff. For less than R1500 a month you benefit from among others, unlimited MRI and CT scans in and out of hospital, maternity visits, certain clinical procedures covered in doctor’s room, benefit for mammogram and pap smear and so much more.
Take Out a Hospital Plan – Who wants Useless Benefits?
What people appreciate about Selfmed’s Hospital Plan is that they don’t channel the money of their members into useless ‘benefits’ such as discounts on movie tickets and loyalty rewards. Their focus is on helping their members to rather benefit where they need it most – affordable, quality medical care.
Who should take out a hospital plan? Certainly anyone who is without any kind of protection and found out how horrendously expensive medical treatments are. A hospital plan is also for anyone who wants to avoid landing up in South Africa’s defunct government hospitals.
Investigate some of the good hospital plans available to you and benefit from the emotional and psychological well-being they offer. They are a safety net against situations where hospitalisation is required.
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All info was correct at time of publishing