Bonitas BonEssential Cover is a Step Up from Bonitas BonCap

Bonitas BonEssential cover is a higher priced alternative to BonCap. Significantly, it is better suited to large families and those needing specialised medical cover. This package gives you the full range of benefits from BonCap but allows for many surgical procedures which normally at not paid for. And While this sounds great at first, you should notice that all extras come with a co-payment. However, don’t let this discredit this mid-range hospital plan. So let’s take a look at exactly what it gives you.

 

 

Unlimited Cover at Fixed Rates

BonEssential CoverOne of the biggest benefits of BonEssential is the unlimited annual cover. The rates are fixed, unlike BonCap’s scalable structure. When choosing BonEssential, you only pay for a maximum of three child dependents. Also, your fourth or more has the cover, free of charge. So here are the standard rates:

  • R1316 R368 for the Principal Member
  • R1007 per Adult Dependent
  • R386 per Child Dependent

 

In-Hospital Benefits from BonCap

In-hospital benefits are supplied at a 100% scheme rate. PMB’s are standard, which gives you medical support for 270 conditions and 27 chronic conditions. BonEssential also gives you cover for the following major medical procedures:

  • GP & Specialist Consultations
  • Pathology
  • General & Specialized Radiology
  • Renal Dialysis
  • R325’s Worth of Medication per Beneficiary per Month
  • Speech & Occupational Therapy
  • Neo-Natal Care (R38,900 per year)
  • Physical Rehabilitation Cover (R42,500 per family)
  • Organ Transplants
  • R295,400’s Worth of Oncology per Year
  • R27,650’s Worth of HIV/AIDS Cover Per Beneficiary per Year
  • Spinal Surgery with R5000 Co-Payment
  • Medical Emergencies

 

BonEssential Cover Co-Payments

With the provision of a co-payment, BonEssential allows for many procedures which most hospital plans do not pay for at all. Also, three basic co-payment structures divide all the additional in-hospital surgeries and other procedures. So their breakdown is as follows:

R1050 Co-Payment

  • Colonoscopy
  • Conservative Back Treatment
  • Cystoscopy
  • Facet Joint Injections
  • Flexible Sigmoidoscopy
  • Functional Nasal Surgery
  • Gastroscopy
  • Hysteroscopy
  • Myringotomy
  • Tonsillectomy (Except PMBs)
  • Adenoidectomy (Except PMBs)
  • Umbilical Hernia Repair
  • Varicose Vein Surgery

 

R2650 Co-Payment

  • Arthroscopy
  • Diagnostic Laparoscopy
  • Laparoscopic Hysterectomy (Except in the Case of Cancer and PMBs)
  • Laparoscopic Appendectomy
  • Percutaneous Rhizotomies

 

R5250 Co-Payment

  • Back Surgery (Even Spinal Fusion)
  • Joint Replacement Surgery
  • Laparoscopic Pyeloplasty
  • Laparoscopic Radical Prostatectomy
  • Nissen Fundoplication (Reflux Surgery)

 

Supplementary and WellnessBenefits

When you choose BonEssential, you also get a range of supplementary benefits, including wellness and preventative care. Also if you ever need any medication not covered by chronic PMBs, there is only a 40% co-payment due.

Fortunately, Bonitas BonEssential maternity care supplies six ante-natal consultations, two 2D scans, four post-natal consultations and one amniocentesis. And child dependents get one annual illness consultation at a GP, while each beneficiary is eligible for a yearly HIV test and a flu vaccine. So the aged benefit from an annual Faecal Occult blood test. So the wellness benefits from BonEssential are great but can be extended. To start with you are given:

  • Blood Pressure Testing
  • Glucose Testing
  • Cholesterol Testing
  • Body Mass Index Evaluation
  • Waist to Hip Ratio Assessment

 

So for an addition R700 per family per year, Bonitas gives you their wellness extender. This also includes health risk assessment with your choice of a:

  • GP Consultation
  • BioKineticist Consultation
  • Dietician Consultation
  • Physiotherapy Consultation
  • Smoking Cessation Programme (after approval only)

 

Great Specialised BonEssential Cover

For most households, BonEssential is roughly R400 to R500 more expensive than Bonitas’ entry level hospital plan. So it is a great option for those with specialised needs and also the wellness extender is a welcome addition to any health-conscious household. Importantly, if you can see yourself as needing any of the procedures supplied at the low co-payment cost, then BonEssential should be one of your first choices.

 

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All info was correct at time of publishing