While most medical aids plans will cover you for emergencies and hospital treatment, day to day expenses can add up very quickly. Even a good medical savings account (MSA) can be depleted in a short space of time, especially with the whole family sharing the savings. Some medical aids make no provision for day to day expenses at all. It just takes a few rounds of something like the flu or tummy bugs and suddenly the bills are adding up.
You can’t put off treatment or not get medication because you do not have funds available. If you or your family urgently need to visit the doctor, get medicine or see a dentist, where will you find the extra money?
Some medical aid schemes offer day to day cover as an additional benefit that you pay extra for while some companies sell it as a stand alone product. You could, for example, have your health care and hospital cover with one medical aid company and get day to day cover from a different provider. You will need to look at the costs and benefits to determine what options will work best for your circumstances and your family.
Depending on the plan and the contribution, most day to day plans typically cover the following:
- Doctor visits
- Prescribed or acute medication
- Basic dentistry
- Basic pathology
- Maternity benefits
- HIV treatment
- Basic radiology
Other more comprehensive plans might also include services such as:
- Specialist visits
- Chronic medication
- Basic optometry
Generally, these types of plans will require that you work through their network of doctors, dentists and health care providers and might also dictate where you get your medication.
You would have to look at the various plans available and what they offer to decide on the best solution for your needs.