How to Choose Hospital Plans

A look at why we need medical insurance and how to choose hospital plans.

What is a hospital plan?

A hospital plan is a form of medical aid plan provided by a medical aid scheme to help the member pay for in-hospital costs and treatments. The hospital plan usually does not provide any day-to-day medical cover, but there are certain medical aid schemes in South Africa that have hospital plans that either include limited day-to-day benefits or a small medical savings account.

How to Choose Hospital Plans

Hospital plans are a more affordable medical aid option because it only supplies cover for treatment in hospital. All forms of medical insurance are based on risk, the risk of ending up in hospital is much smaller than the risk of getting a sickness that can be treated by a GP visit only, this is also a factor that reduces the costs of hospital cover.

Hospital plans from medical aids vs. plans from insurance companies

If you don’t learn anything else from this article, please remember that a hospital plan from a medical aid scheme such as Discovery, Momentum, Fedhealth, Selfmed, Sizwe, Bestmed, etc. is in general preferable to a hospital plan from an insurance company. This is because medical schemes are obliged by law to cover a wide variety of chronic and other health conditions in their products, while insurance companies are not.

Hospital plans take mainly 3 forms:

• Network hospital plans that require you to use a network hospital.

• A general hospital where you are allowed to use any private hospital.

• A hospital or cashback option provided by an insurance company, these plans have extremely limited benefits.

Why do we need them?

We need hospitals mainly because of the high costs of the medical care provided in private hospitals. The hospital plans also provide you with the peace of mind that your hospitalization cost will at least partly be covered while you are in the hospital.

How to choose hospital plans

It is a difficult decision whenever you choose to commit to any long-term financial costs; these are factors that you should consider when you choose a hospital plan that will help you get the most from your plan.

Choose plans that:

• are provided by medical schemes registered with the Council of Medical Schemes. The council regulates and monitors all schemes to comply with the medical schemes act and provide you with benefits that suit the premiums. This will also mean that you are at least covered for the 270 conditions listed in the prescribed minimum benefits list.

• provide you with the best benefits. Most schemes now provide additional benefits that will assist in prevention and screening for certain diseases. Other additional benefits may also include a limited day-to-day or savings account benefit.

• you can afford. Medical cover is expensive, choose something that provides adequate benefits for the premiums you pay.

• provide you with unlimited annual limits. This is crucial in the event of an accident or extensive treatment because of the high costs of the hospitals, especially during extended or long hospital stays.

If you take all these factors into consideration, you will know how to choose hospital plans that will provide you with the best cover possible.

 

COMPLETE THIS FORM TO GET YOUR MEDICAL AID QUOTES!

Medical Aid QuoteNOTES:

Your medical aid quote will include options to suit your pocket. Please ensure that the cover you select is exactly what you need and that you understand exactly what insurance you are buying. Do not hesitate to ask questions about the medical aid or hospital cover you choose.

Published:

Updated:

Next post :

Latest posts

  • Untitled post 661

    Find out why Sizwe Medical Aid is becoming one of the most popular medical schemes in South Africa

    Read more

Share via
Copy link