Whether it is a medical emergency or a routine checkup with your doctor, medical costs can be very high and can add up quickly. Leaving you in a stressful financial situation. The easiest way to prevent this is to be covered by medical aid. South Africa is fortunate enough to have a wide range of medical aid providers to choose from. However, deciding which medical aid company to go with can be difficult.

After all, the last thing anyone wants to experience is joining a medical aid plan that does not provide the coverage that you need. To help make this decision a bit easier, this article will highlight what to consider before choosing a medical aid plan. As well as a few different medical aid companies in South Africa and what their medical aid plans cover.

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What to Consider Before Choosing a Medical Aid Plan

Deciding which medical aid scheme to join is important because you want to ensure you have the coverage you need. This is why it is important to consider the following before selecting a medical aid scheme:

Budget

Before selecting a medical aid plan, you should first work out your budget. Calculate how much you can pay towards a medical aid plan each month. This will help you determine which medical aid schemes are in your price range.

Medical Needs

Consider your medical needs, especially if you require chronic medication, suffer from a health issue, or barely visit the doctor. This will help determine whether you need a more comprehensive or basic medical aid plan.

Medical Aid Companies in South Africa

When deciding which medical aid company to go with, you want to make sure the company has a plan that best suits your needs. While all South African medical aid plans are required to cover the Prescribed Minimum Benefit, what sets these companies apart are their plans’ benefits. Here are a few South African medical aid companies and the type of plans each offer.

Note: All figures listed are from the companies’ website for 2020/2021. These prices may differ from 2022.

Momentum

Momentum has a few different medical aid schemes to choose from, whether you are looking for a basic plan or a comprehensive plan. Momentum will have a plan that will suit your medical needs. One of the most affordable medical aid plans, the Ingwe option starts around R500 per month, while the Summit Option starts from R10 642.

All momentum health options offer the following benefits:

• Major Medical Benefit
• Day-to-day Benefit
• Chronic Benefit
• Health Platform Benefit

While the amount of medical coverage for these benefits will vary between the Momentum health options, each plan offers basic coverage. It is also important to note that with most of these benefits, you may be required to visit doctors or facilities, part of Momentum’s Network, to be covered by medical aid.

FedHealth

FedHealth first began in 1936, making it one of South Africa’s oldest medical aid companies. A unique feature that FedHealth has is its Create-Your-Aid medical aid plan. This option gives their clients the control to customise a medical aid plan to suit their pockets.

FedHealth also has seven different medical aid schemes to choose from. The most affordable medical aid plan is the myFed which starts from R1 128 and includes a basic cover of the following:

• Access to the medical vault
• Maternity benefits
• Child benefits
• Unlimited access to network hospitals
• Unlimited accident and emergency treatment
• Trauma treatment in the ward
• Post-hospital benefits
• Unlimited general practitioner visits with network doctors
• Female contraception
• Chronic and prescribed medication
• Specialised radiology
• Cancer cover
• Flu vaccination
• Threshold benefits
• Screen benefits

KeyHealth

KeyHealth offers six medical aid options that each have a variety of covers to suit different individuals needs. KeyHealth’s most basic cover is their Essence Options which starts from R1 697 per month and covers the following:

• Chronic medication
• Disaster medical expenses cover (Hospital related costs, injuries as a result of accidents, in-hospital specialists, and more)
• Supplementary services cover (Ambulance, medical appliances, endoscopic procedures)
• PMB
• Additional benefits (Access to emergency room, health booster, smart baby program)

However, if you prefer a more all-inclusive medical cover, you may prefer KeyHealth’s Platinum option, which starts from R9 624. This plan includes all the benefits in the Essence Options and additional benefits such as more day-to-day coverage, dental coverage, and more.

Discovery

Discovery is one of the most popular medical companies in South Africa. It offers 23 different medical aid options. So whether you are looking for an entry-level medical aid or a highly comprehensive medical aid, Discovery will have a plan for you.

The most basic medical aid plan is the Keycare series, which includes three options and starts from R968 per month. Discovery’s most comprehensive scheme is the Executive Plan that starts from R7 688. All Discovery’s medical schemes will cover the following:

• Day-to-day cover
• Hospital cover
• Chronic illness cover
• Cancer cover

However, with Discovery’s entry-level medical aid plans, cover is only included when receiving treatments from doctors who are a part of their network and at specific facilities. On the other hand, their Executive plan has unlimited hospital cover at any private hospital and includes full cover with specialists in hospitals.

Final Thoughts on Medical Aid in South Africa

Trying to figure out which medical aid company to go with can be overwhelming at first. But once you calculate your budget and the medical aid coverage you need, this decision will become a little easier. South Africa has great medical aid providers who offer similar coverage, but what sets these companies apart are the benefits they provide and the affordability of their plans.

You now have everything you need to help choose the medical aid schemes that suit your budget and cover all your medical needs. So don’t wait any longer and start enquiring about medical aid quotes to get the coverage you need to ease your mind.