Medshield Medical Aid
A medical scheme such as Medshield Medical Aid is a major issue in today’s world. And not only does it offer compensation and support. It also gives a lot of confidence in the day to day activities.
Medical insurance provides access to better health care. One will also have easier access routine check-ups, and in the case of medical emergencies, one will be able to save a lot of money from the total costs.
In South Africa, there are many medical insurance plans that one can choose from. Importantly, all the companies will offer different packages and one has to choose a company that they will be comfortable in, this is in terms of the types of cover and the costs involved. And a major medical aid scheme in South Africa is Medshield Medical aid.
Overview of Medshield medical aid
This is one of the oldest schemes in South Africa. From its inception in 1968, the scheme has grown to also be one of the largest and well established medical aid solution. Therefore, it is the 6th largest of South Africa’s medical aid schemes. Importantly, people trust Medshield and this shows in the 191,000 people it covers.
Medshield aid boasts receiving an AA- Global Credit rating for 6 consecutive years to date. The rating is a result of their impressive compensation record which indicates their promptness in settling claims.
Although Medshield has representation all over the country, one can get one on one consultation over the Internet from their online system. The scheme has eight products that fit different individuals in terms of cover benefits depending on one’s own budget.
Different scheme options
The eight scheme options starting from the most basic to the most comprehensive are; Medivalue, core plus, Essential, Standard cover, Mediplus, the 80% plan, Premium plus, and the Medibonus.
The very basic products are the Medivalue and the core plus. The Medshield Medivalue plan provides a member with R 1,848 per year for cover of out of hospital expenses. The Medshield core plus in contrast will not cover for out of hospital expenses but will instead cover hospital expenses.
Additional benefits and services
In addition, Medshield Medical Aid providesĀ services to its members as an incentive. These include the Medshield Pharmacy Network. ThatĀ is in collaboration with pharmacies within the network to provide a “wallet free experience” for members shopping for drugs.
Another benefit is the access to the services of the Independent Clinical Oncology Network (ICON). ICON provides services and solutions to patients of cancer, managing their treatment, counselling and therapies.
Emergency Services are also another added service; all members and beneficiaries have access to emergency services at any time. Medshield provides these services with the assistance of Europ Assistance South Africa (Pty) Ltd.
Medshield also has a disease management programme that is offered to members in support of some chronic diseases such as diabetes, asthma and coronary heart diseases. The programme is involved in educating, giving advice and providing nurse support.
Extra services
Other extra services from Medshield Medical Aid are; the Life sense HIV/ AIDS programme, Benefit management programme, Chronic management programme, Disease management programme, Hospital management, Oncology disease programme, and the International classification of Disease and related health problems.
While Medshield is quite popular thanks to its variety of offerings, there are other good medical aids in the country that cover more or less the same range of treatments and are worth a look in. Discovery Medical Aid, Gems Medical Aid and Bonitas Medical Aid are just a few of them.
All info was correct at time of publishing