Prosano medical aid began in 1976 on the west coast of South Africa and has since expanded to be a nationwide presence. Prosano medical aid plans offer industry standard cover and some unique benefits as well. Students are covered under Prosano medical aid plans under the special children’s rate up to the age of 27. Prosano also offers benefit cover for vitamins and many homeopathic treatments. They cover over 60 chronic conditions and provide for unlimited pathology examines, in-patient radiation and in patient maternity care.

Prosano medical aid plans are divided into four schemes: ProVision, ProClassic, ProVider and ProCedure. Each of them offer different levels of cover so as to make them available at different subscription rates so you can find an affordable plan that will provide adequate coverage for your needs.

The Provision Prosano medical aid plan is a budget hospital plan for people who are healthy, have no chronic condition and deals mostly with providing maternity cover and in-hospital treatment for urgent care. ProClassic is a comprehensive care program that uses the Prosano medical aid savings account to help offset and prepare for any hospital costs. Provider is especially designed for the needs of families with children by emphasising in and out of hospital cover. Finally, the ProCedure Prosano medical aid plan is a unique budget plan available for members with a per month income of R4000 or less. This plan allows for unlimited day to day treatment and general practitioner visits but has a cap on hospital stays and specialist treatments set at R150, 000 per year. Should a ProCedure member require more cover, Prosano medical aid also offers gap cover so the member is not left to cover all of the cost themselves. More detailed information about each plan is available on the Prosano medical aid website. You can also leave your contact information for an agent to call and discuss the plans with you.

Cheap medical aid

While everyone would like the surety of having a comprehensive medical aid plan, for most people finding a cheap medical aid plan that has adequate cover for their current needs is what they are looking for. There is a broad range of products available to provide cheap medical aid from an equally broad range of companies. Health care costs have increased greatly in South Africa over the past two decades and making sure that you have a cheap medical aid plan that also provides adequate medical cover may mean re-evaluating your plan and considering new offerings from different companies.

An important thing to look for when trying to select a cheap medical aid scheme is whether or not it will provide adequate coverage for your potential risk of health problems. Younger adults have different potential health risks than more senior adults. Also, a good medical aid plan will have allowances and emphasis on providing benefits for preventative health care. While having a comprehensive medical aid plan that can cover treatment for chronic disease, dread disease and surgeries – a cheap medical aid plan can be just as good as they recognize that preventative care saves everyone money.

More and more cheap medical aid providers are also becoming less restrictive about members ability to move between plans. Some allow you to downgrade your plan at will, which can be an immense help if your income changes. Unfortunately, upgrading a plan or signing onto a new one is still restricted to set enrolment periods that may only occur once or twice a year. Also, many cheap medical aid schemes use two different payment approaches. The first and standard approach is a monthly payment towards the plan, much like a premium rate on other types of insurance. The second is the use of a health savings account. These accounts allow members to save money towards future health expenses so they are not caught unprepared when they have to pay the up to meet the threshold on the policy.

Gems medical aid application forms

GEMs medical aid application forms can all be easily accessed on their online site. Available forms include: Acknowledgement of debt form, Affidavit A – Confirming dependency of beneficiaries, Affidavit B – Confirming dependency of partner, Affidavit C – Confirming dependency of grandchild/ren, Affidavit D – Confirming dependency of niece/s and/or nephew/s, Application for assistance by means of an Ex Gratia, Application for continued medical assistance (Z583 form), Assessment report by medical practitioner (Disability), Change in membership form, Chronic Medication Delivery Amendment form, Chronic Medication Application form, Dental Services Motivation form, HIV Disease Management form, Maternity Programme Enrolment form, Maternity Programme Newborn registration form, Motivation for option change form, Patient Consent form, PMB Programme Application form, termination of dependant’s membership form, termination of membership from previous medical scheme, and the Travel/international claims form.

GEMs medical aid application forms are required to become a part of the GEMs health plan which Is a closed scheme designed to provide for government employees and their families. GEMs, or the Government Employees Medical scheme, was organised in 2005 in response to the issue that most government employees could not afford health care. It was also found that with medical plan costs rising faster than salaries, that many government and public sectors were unable to continue to afford their private medical aid plans.

GEMs medical aid application forms also include forms that are required throughout the use and application of GEMs medical aid cover. A GEMs medical aid application form is required to activate certain benefits (such as maternity) that are provided for under your GEMs cover. Review the description of the benefits for the GEMs medical aid you have to determine when and which GEMs medical aid application forms are required to be submitted. It is a good idea, even if you are not currently in need of a benefit, to familiarize yourself with the GEMs medical aid application forms so you can understand them without the stress of need.

Pharos medical aid

Pharos medical aid provides a kind of unusual service to its members based on a philosophy that is uncommon in the health cover industry. Pharos medical aid started in 1994 with the belief that medical aid is for when you are sick and members should be in control of their medical rand. To fulfil this mission, they have created products that revolve around managed, preventative care. Pharos medical aid programmes are not just about the “just in case you need it moments” of health care, but about establishing a consistent relationship with medical providers to prevent illness from happening.

Pharos medical aid assigns each member to a registered nurse who oversees their compliance with basic preventative care and check-ups. Because it is a registered nurse that is involved directly in non-medical emergency care, they have the opportunity to spot the beginnings of an issue before it gets so bad it requires hospital intervention. Nurses can also help you understand better the choices presented to you as care options so you remain in better control of your treatment.

Pharos medical aid programmes guarantee that all claims are paid within 14 days of the received claim date and that hospital claims are resolved within 30 days of the clinical audit. If you are involved with one of the Pharos medical aid savings schemes, any monies left at the end of the year are automatically rolled over into the next.

Pharos medical aid also offers specialized programmes such as their Fortitude programme that is focused on wellness and education, an HIV/AIDS management program, and an extensive list of services for pre-natal and post-natal care. Members can also take advantage of their online education, wellness and rewards programmes. Plus, all Pharos medical aid members receive a regular health newsletter.

Bestmed medical aid

Bestmed medical aid offers a broad range of health covers that range from comprehensive plans to budget aid for those who do not need extensive hospital and chronic disease cover. One of the reasons that Bestmed medical aid is able to offer plans that are affordable is they have been able to keep their operating costs below 6% of their revenue. That kind of administrative discipline not only keeps their plan rates low but also, shows that they pay attention to detail. If a company pays that much attention to detail in their administrative concerns it is safe to assume that they will pay attention to your health concerns as well. What most people do not understand about medical aid schemes is that as a business, Bestmed medical aid will profit more if you are healthy rather than when you are ill.

Bestmed medical aid offers three categories of medical aid plans – the Beat, the Pace and the Pulse. The Bestmed medical aid Beat plan has three separate schemes for care. All of the Beat plans are aimed towards younger members who are in good health, interested in preventative care and may just be starting their families. The Bestmed Pace plans offers four levels of service that begin to rise in care offerings to meet the needs of established families and older members who are beginning to need chronic care. The Pulse options are two plans that are geared at working professionals who want comprehensive coverage but also, greater choice in providers and good rates.

No matter what Bestmed medical aid scheme you choose, you can be sure that as you grow your family and life, Bestmed will be able to keep up with you. Their driving goal is to provide affordable and practical cover to members with an emphasis on making preventative care accessible.

Medical aid schemes in South Africa

Choosing between all the medical aid schemes in South Africa is not as easy as picking other types of cover. After all, in the grand scheme of things if you choose the wrong home or car cover, the worst that can happen is that you will lose your house or car. That may seem awful, but you can recover from it. Choose one of the wrong medical aid schemes in South Africa and your health can be seriously compromised, your financial stability destroyed and you will not be able to start again.

There are many different types of medical aid schemes in South Africa and each cover offers a different level of protection. Each tier of protection also has different premium rates and a different focus as far as what the medical aid schemes in South Africa provides benefits for. Some medical aid schemes in South Africa are good for young singles who are just starting out and other are better for families. It is a good idea to review your potential medical needs every few years to try and determine if you need to change your coverage. Even if you find yourself in a situation where you need additional benefits that are not provided by your cover, most companies that offer medical aids in South Africa also offer gap cover to increase your cover as needed.

There are so many companies that offer medical aid schemes in South Africa that you have a great range of products to choose from. Think realistically about what your potential health needs will be, talk to family and friends about their experiences with providers and make an informed decision. Also, be sure to call the company you may want to enrol with as most have set periods during the year when they will consider new applications.

Bonitas medical aid options

Bonitas medical aid options include a range of cover combinations to provide affordable and adequate health plans to people from all walks of life. They have five categories of aid: Bo comprehensive, Bonsave, Standard, Primary and Boncap. Young people just starting out often choose Boncap. Boncap is a Bonitas medical aid options discount product that provides for preventative care and helps to alleviate the cost of day to day care which includes medication and doctor’s visits. Members can use a savings account setup with Bonitas to put money toward unexpected health crisis or, they can opt to purchase a gap cover if the need arises to cover the gaps in the Boncap aid.

Bonsave is the one of the Bonitas medical aid options developed for young professionals who need preventative care, day to day benefits but do not need to manage chronic conditions. The standard and Bo comprehensive plans are the best choices for people managing chronic ailments or requiring frequent hospital services.

Bonitas medical aid options also include mid and full comprehensive plans. This is ideal for families and seniors as they are the section of the population that is most in need of chronic and regular care. Bonitas medical aid options have different levels of hospital coverage. The premium amount increases the more cover you acquire in a plan but again, if you can wisely use (and afford) acquiring a gap cover when you are in need or even purchasing a limited increase aid plan to temporarily raise the amount of benefits on your plan – you can get your health care needs met.

Before you chose a plan, consider all the possible Bonitas medical aid options carefully. You can afford decent health cover if you wisely combine some of the Bonitas medical aid options with additional gap cover plans. Whatever your budget or need, Bonitas has medical plan options that will work for you.

One plan medical aid

Ideally, the best kind of health cover comes under one plan of medical aid only. But having everything you could possibly need under one plan of medical aid can be out of reach for many people because of the subscription expense. Medical scheme companies are aware of this and work to offer their members different options to resolve their medical aid needs. They offer one plan medical aid products that have different tiers of cover and cost, and then they offer stop gap products to fill any additional cover needs that may arise.

A one plan medical aid can mean anything from fully comprehensive insurance that provides for unlimited hospitalization, private ward options, chronic care medication and wellness initiatives or, the one plan medical aid could be more budget conscious and offer only the cover that the member is going to need at this stage in their life. Young singles do not have the need for fully comprehensive insurance that families with children and senior do. It is easier for a young person to acquire a cheap one plan medical aid and not worry too much about it. For some seniors, maintaining a comprehensive one plan medical aid is also easily done. But for most families and retired persons, the affordable one plan medical aid is going to be one that offers only a mid or low level amount of cover. In a way, they are taking a gamble with their health needs. To reduce the risk of that gamble, medical aid companies offer gap plans to fill out areas of coverage with specific additional benefits.

Unfortunately, having to acquire a gap plan undermines the original intention of having one plan for medical aid. Now, you must deal with managing the claims and paperwork of two plans and costs might run higher when the two subscriptions are combined.

Hospital plans

Hospital plans are not something you can wait to get. While you may be in good health, there is no surety against illness or accident that could land you or one of your families in the hospital. Don’t forget that you could wind up with hospital costs without illness or accident too. Trying to afford a stay on a maternity ward without any hospital plans helping can make a rough start for any child. While it may seem like an expense you can do without, avoiding cover can wind up costing you a great deal. Hospital expenses can run into the thousands very quickly and the cost of health care in South Africa has risen dramatically over the past few decades and shows no sign of slowing down. Since most salaries have not kept pace with that rise, finding adequate and affordable hospital plans can seem like impossibility.

If you take the time to look around a compare the hospital plans offered by the medical aid companies you will find one that is affordable for you. The key to finding affordable health plans is to remember that your health needs will change as your life changes. Someone who is young and in good health can get away with one of the discounted hospital plans that has a high threshold limit. The threshold limit is the amount you agree to pay out of pocket first before the medical aid scheme will pay the rest. The higher the limit, the lower the premium cost. If you begin a family, what you need in a hospital plan will change as there are more day to day care costs involved. You will want to have better hospital plans in place in case your child needs any of the surgeries common to children such as having their tonsils removed or an appendectomy. Likewise, in old age, we all need the most comprehensive hospital plans we can afford as we are more likely to require treatment.

Transmed medical aid

Transmed medical aid is a closed medical aid company that offers cover to employees, subsidiaries and former subsidiaries of the Transnet group. They offer a wide array of tiered care plan and have some special initiatives that keep members choosing Transmed medical aid as their cover provider.

In addition to the standard offerings of core, budget, basic and full comprehensive plans, Transmed medical aid has placed an emphasis on plans designed for Elder and managed care. Transmed medical aid knows that with chronic conditions that are the result of natural aging or the presence of chronic disease, part of providing cover is about providing benefits that emphasize wellness. Transmed medical aid Elder care programmes focus on making sure that people over 60 still have control over their health treatments and their lives. The benefits are not just about medication and hospital care, but about offering discount and educational programmes to keep elders active and healthy. The same is true with managed care. Transmed programmes provide not just for day to day cover, but also, wellness care and caregiver support.

Transmed medical aid offers more in managed care too as they have separated out the specific forms of managed care needs to better allow a focus to be placed upon them. With Transmed medical aid you can get on a specific programme for managed care for disease, maternity or oncology. By separating out these three areas, the benefits can be more specifically tailored to each type of managed care need. Transmed medical aid also has an additional benefit that can be accessed to allow for an extension for International travel to make sure you are not left without cover just because you may have left the country. Their global network and agreements with other providers will make sure that you have access to all the health options you may need on your travels.