Many South Africans desperately need more affordable medical aid, but are cheap hospital plans their best option? Firstly, one must accept that “cheap” and “affordable” are not synonyms. In practice, the former word is often paired with “nasty” and indicates a product or service of inferior quality. The nation’s short-term insurers introduced the cheapest means to offset one’s healthcare costs with an option known as a hospital cash plan, demonstrating what a big difference just one small word can make.
While it would be unfair to describe their offering as cheap and nasty, its benefits are somewhat limited. These hospital cash plans pay the policyholder a fixed sum for each day confined to a hospital. However, those sums are most unlikely to cover the cost of accommodation and treatment but are intended to help with incidental expenses like TV hire or to offset lost income. Also, some medical scheme members purchase this cheap option as a form of gap cover to assist with co-payments.
Medical Schemes Have Ramped Up Their Cheap Hospital Plans
Inflation does not differentiate between priorities. Healthcare costs have escalated along with consumer goods, fuel and energy prices, and those money-saving cheap hospital plans developed by South Africa’s medical schemes have become the only affordable option for many of us. In this case, however, the term “cheap” is synonymous with “affordable”, as many welcome additions to their standard benefits are now helping to provide members with more comprehensive private healthcare cover.
Selected Day-to-Day Benefits Add Value to Cheap Hospital Plans
Adding to the limited benefits of a standard plan allows members to cope with some of the contingencies for which cover was previously excluded for a modest premium increase. At Medshield, we have included several such options in our extensive 2023 product range. When combined with the prescribed minimum benefits mandated under the Medical Schemes Act 131 of 1988, selected day-to-day benefits and cover for non-urgent services like physiotherapy, vaccinations, and contraceptive products, these affordable plans offer both individuals and families a rare opportunity to enjoy more for less.
Some Cheap Hospital Plans to Consider
The Medshield range includes several affordable plans with various additional benefits to provide more comprehensive support with your private healthcare costs. Naturally, the more added benefits you opt for, the more you will pay each month. However, each product represents a substantial saving compared to fully-comprehensive medical aid. Why not browse the Medshield 2023 range, download the brochures and request a quote for those products of interest to you and your loved ones?
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