Travel insurance should be an essential part of your holiday plans as it offers comprehensive benefits for the duration of your travel. Apart from the lost luggage and stolen credit card cover, a good travel insurance plan should also offer a wide range of medical benefits. Travelling in a foreign country, you cannot be certain of the mishaps that may arise and without a good travel insurance plan, you may find yourself languishing in a third world hospital, with poor medical services.
The cost of health care varies throughout the world but your travel agent will ensure that the insurance plan you opt for will cover all the necessary medical expenses irrespective of your holiday destination. This will usually include emergency medical care, chronic medication and hospital cover. Travel insurance plans do not cover unnecessary medical services or cosmetic procedures.
Alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence is a growing problem in South Africa, affecting both the health and welfare of the alcoholic, their family and even friends and colleagues. Ranked among the top beer drinking nations of the world and home to one of the largest breweries internationally, South Africa has not tackled the problem of alcohol abuse head on. Lax regulation and enforcement has allowed alcohol abuse to spread to younger age groups and seen illegal taverns (shebeens) pop up throughout South African suburbs.
An unwanted pregnancy can be a daunting prospect for many women and teen girls especially without appropriate financial or social support. Fortunately within South Africa, the Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1996 allows an expectant mother to terminate the pregnancy through safe and cost effective abortions. Choosing the correct abortion method is essential in maintaining both your reproductive health and preventing complications or even death.
Recent amendments to the Road Accident Fund claims criteria means that South Africans may be surprised to find that the benefits they believe they are entitled to, should they meet with an accident on a South African road, will not materialise. The 2008 amendments has recently been covered in a popular South African documentary showing road accident victims, who are now left in tight financial positions although they are among the millions of contributors in this country who fund the Road Accident Fund (RAF) through a fuel levy.
Some of the amendments that were highlighted include the following :
1. No cover for private hospitals
If you meet with an accident on a South African road, you will only be treated at a private hospital if you have medical aid cover or if you can afford the upfront cash fees. The Road Accident Fund will only reimburse private hospitals at the government hospital rate which most private hospitals will not accept. In most instances, if you do not have the financial resources or medical aid cover, you will be taken to a government hospital for treatment.
2. Loss of Income Remuneration
A person who is considered unfit to work due to the injuries they have sustained in a road accident will be reimbursed with approximately R160,000 per annum. This equates to approximately R9,000 per month after taxes for a loss of income as a result of your road accident injuries.
3. 30% Physical and/or Mental Impairment
To qualify for certain benefits for more extensive injuries like the monthly remuneration mentioned above, a road accident victim will have to sustain injuries that cause a level of impairment in daily functioning. This level of impairment is only considered a qualifying criteria for certain RAF benefit based on guidelines specified by the Road Accident Fund.
4. Cannot sue guilty party
Part of the conditions for remuneration from the Road Accident Fund also means that the guilty party in a road accident cannot be held liable in their personal capacity. In other words, if you opt to claim from the RAF, you cannot sue the other driver for their negligence that may have caused the accident. This may be dependent on certain criteria and it is advisable that you consult with an attorney regarding your constitutional rights in these instances.
The above amendments as well as other changes are dependent on the individual case and context in which it will be applied. If you are uncertain about how these amendments may affect your RAF claim, it is best to consult with your attorney or speak directly to the Road Accident Fund (RAF) in South Africa.
