How to Join Medical Aids in South Africa
Young people of today do not see the need to join a medical aid. And that is because they find all the medical jargon confusing. How to join medical aids is not as difficult as it may seem. Below are a few guidelines on what to do if you want to invest in your health, be it for a hospital plan or any of the other medical aid plans available to you.
How to Join – Where to start
Once you have decided what your needs are,decide which medical scheme or company you want to invest with. Find the correct plan, then the rest is straightforward and easy.
Medical aid in South Africa has progressed with the technology age. So most medical companies now have great, informative websites that you can visit. All the medical aid rates appear on their sites. Therefore, there is no real need to spend hours on a costly call when talking to a consultant.
By using the websites, you can narrow down your questions considerably. Get answers by contacting the medical company via its website as well. When looking at contributions you will pay, most are laid out as follows (this is an example figure only):
- Main Member – R998
- Adult dependant – R833
- Child dependant – R356
- Total contribution for family of 4 – R2543
You need to remember to add the amount given for each dependant to the Principal figure to get to the total contribution you will have to pay.
How to Join – Application forms
In most cases, there is no need to fill in pages and pages of information; one website application form is all that is necessary. Within a 48 hour period, a consultant should contact you via email or else via telephone requesting any further information that might be needed.
Copies of Identification documents for you and your dependants are usually requested and then some medical aids will request further information with regards to your health or the health of your dependants. Should you have previously belonged to a medical aid, a history of your membership may be requested.
For certain medical conditions on your application form, a full medical report of those conditions may be requested so the new medical aid can determine whether to implement a waiting period for those conditions or not. Once the scheme is happy that you comply with the necessary details, they will send you the terms and conditions of membership.
It is imperative that you read through all the terms and conditions and make sure that you are 100% happy with all of them before signing.
If you are not completely satisfied, do not hesitate to contact your consultant to clear up any confusion there might be. Most consultants are very well trained and know their products well and are able to assist you with ease and efficiency.
So to summarise:
- Visit the website of choice
- Fill in the online application form
- Wait for a consultant to contact you or email you the necessary information to complete your application.
- Send requested documentation
- Sign on the dotted line
- Start enjoying your medical benefits
All info was correct at time of publishing