If you have been searching for the best hospital plan in South Africa, you need to realise that there is no cover better than a medical aid. The term hospital plan can refer to either a medical aid without the day-to-day benefits or an insurance policy that pays you cash when you are hospitalised. Although these are two different products, many consumers are confused as to which is the best option. Medical aid cannot be replaced. Even private medical insurance in most countries in the world do not have the offerings of medical aid. South Africans need to realise that if they want protection for the exorbitant private healthcare costs then medical aid is the best way to go.
Hospital Plans are Cheaper Medical Aids
There are many different options with regards to medical aids. Most schemes have many different plans. Usually, hospital plans are the cheaper option and still offers the main cover – financial protection when you are hospitalised. While you may be able to manage your out of hospital healthcare costs which are often cheaper, hospital care in South Africa is very expensive and without medical aid, it is plain unaffordable to most of us. A medical aid hospital plan only in South Africa also includes a chronic benefit so you can rest assured that you will have cover for medicines for your chronic disease.
All Companies Offer The Same Plans
In the search for the best hospital plan, most consumers will discover that all medical schemes pretty much offer various plans with just about the same benefits at the same price. Looking for the best hospital plan is simple – what can you afford, which company are you comfortable with and will you receive an subsidy from your employer for your monthly contribution should you join a specific scheme. It is pretty much common sense – if any single scheme in South Africa offered more benefits for lower premiums, then medical aid members would flock to that scheme. But that is not the case – there are over 100 schemes in the country offering just about the same thing for the same price.
Best Option Between Medical Aid and Cash Plan
Don’t ever think that one product can replace another. If you truly want protection for your health care needs then medical aid is the way to go. If you want financial protection for your personal expenses should you be in hospital then a hospital cash back plan is the logical choice.
Although you could use the payout from a cash plan to pay for some of your medical expenses, it is no guarantee that you will be fully covered. Your payout from a cash plan may not match the medical expenses that you may accrue when in hospital, particularly with surgery. More importantly though, most private hospitals will not even admit you into the facility with a hospital cash back plan – they will need medical aid surety or a big cash deposit as the admission fee.
Despite the benefits of a medical aid, there is still benefits to a hospital cash back plan and its payouts. However, this should not detract from the fact that a medical aid is not just the best option, but somewhat essential in South Africa. The state facilities service some 40 million South Africans on a tight budget and we all known that government hospitals and clinics are not always the best institutions should you need medical care. Most people would willingly choose private healthcare but affordability is the issue. It is affordable with a medical aid – a truly unique cover that cannot be replaced by hospital cash back plans and medical insurance policies.
Best Prices
While medical aid is not cheap, it is cover that you can truly appreciate when you are in hospital clocking up massive bills. A medical aid hospital plan only may start from as little as R500 to R600 per month but could cover you for hundreds of thousands of rands when you are in hospital. Just as there is no specific medical scheme or medical aid plan that can claim to be the best, better than all the rest at the same price, similarly there is no best price for what you get. All medical aid plans that offer about the same benefits charge about the same price.
A hospital cash back plan may start from only R100 per month but remember that it is not a medical aid. It does not cover your medical bills. It does give you security for private hospital admission. And it only starts paying out if you are hospitalised for more than 2 to 3 days. Ideally the best option if you can afford it is to have a medical aid hospital plan AND a hospital cash plan. Where the medical aid will cover your bills while in hospital, the cash plan puts money in your hand to top up on medical bills or use for your personal expenses.
Read more on how to choose the best hospital plan.