The termination of a pregnancy is the right of every expectant mother in South Africa. However, many women experience difficulty in getting the appropriate advice on the costs and facilities associated with an abortion. There are many private abortion clinics in South Africa and while government hospitals should also offer this service, the strained public health care system does not always give priority to abortions. Medical aids may cover the cost of an abortion, however, some medical aids limit the number of times the procedure may be conducted or may not cover the procedure at all.
Pregnancy is one of the times when a person reassesses their medical aid cover as the costs associated with childbirth can be expensive. Considering the high costs of private health care, it is only natural for mothers to be concerned about the extent of cover for their pregnancy and childbirth, as well as cover for any complications that may arise, especially those that can affect the baby. Proper cover is essential and ideally you should have comprehensive medical aid cover before you fall pregnant (refer to Medical Aid for Pregnant Women).
Many medical aids now offer a medical savings option on some plans which fund day-to-day medical expenses but can also be used to supplement any in-hospital costs that are not covered by your medical aid. Unlike the predefined day-to-day limits or insured out-of-hospital benefit, a medical savings account does not expire at the end of the year and can be carried over to the next year of cover.
A company medical aid is any medical scheme cover subsidised by the employer. Sometimes this is cover on a restricted or closed medical aid which is only available to employees of a specific company or sector of industry. At other times, employers may subsidise monthly medical aid contributions for their employees on open medical aids.
Employers are not obliged to subsidise medical aid cover for their employees and this perk should not be confused with other mandatory benefits like UIF (unemployment insurance fund).
A hospital plan is medical aid cover that provides benefits for in-hospital (inpatient) visits and procedures. Most medical aid hospital plans also provide chronic medication cover. Private health care is expensive and hospital costs are staggering should you not have medical aid cover. A hospital plan is not a complete medical aid with day-to-day cover and out-of-hospital benefits but it is a cost-effective option for medical care should you require hospitalisation.
What is a Medical Aid Hospital Plan?
A hospital plan is a form of medical aid cover that provides benefits in the event that you are hospitalised. Medical aid hospital plans will pay for the doctor’s consultation fees, procedure costs, investigations and tests, medicines and your hospital stay.
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Medical aid is an important cover that is more often required as you get older. In this period, it is likely that chronic conditions may develop, your health care needs grow exponentially and is crucial to ensure a good quality of life. However, the issue of affordability always arises in retirement as your ability to generate an income is limited. If your pension fund or retirement annuity is not sufficient to sustain your monthly budget, then squeezing in the cost of premium medical aid cover is going to be a difficult task.
Maternity benefits included
Pre-existing conditions covered (excl HIV/Aids)