Lacking medical aid cover is not advisable, since it leaves you at the mercy of government owned medical facilities. Even though these facilities offer a suitable level of healthcare, they are often overcrowded and the wait for diagnosis and treatment can be a lengthy one. When you become a member of a medical aid scheme, you will have access to some of the best medical professionals in your area, as well as having the chance to stay in some of the best hospitals too. In this article, we will take a closer look at a closed medical aid scheme which has been set up by South African Government for their employees.
There are a lot of medical aid companies currently plying their trade in South Africa at the moment, and choosing the right one can take time. However, there are a number of closed medical aid schemes which are limited to a number of people within a certain profession, and these can often provide the best value for money. Something that is important for those government employees that are on low incomes or do not have much money at the end of the month.
These closed medical aid schemes are not open to members of the public, only those people that are employed in a specific job, and the South African government also has its own endorsed closed medical aid scheme, which goes by the title GEMS. GEMS, is an acronym of the Government Employee Medical Scheme, which came into existence in 2005 in order to provide government employees with top quality healthcare for a reasonable price.
There are five very distinct healthcare plans that are currently being offered by GEMS Medical Aid, and they are only open to membership to those people that work for the South African government. All five healthcare plans offered by GEMS Medical Aid are named after precious stones, and they are called, Ruby, Sapphire, Onyx, Emerald and Beryl. All of these healthcare plans are able to offer a basic level of cover for medical costs, such as the costs of hospital treatments, staying in hospital and other day-to-day medical expenses such as access to a doctor and dental treatment. For those employees that can afford more cover, or for those that need more intensive treatment, there are a number of different healthcare plans that offer a broader range of coverage for a number of medical conditions, both acute and chronic.
