13 Signs of Affordable Hospital Plans
With the current stressful financial environment in which we live, we all require affordable products that perform the best when we need it. But what are the factors affordable hospital plans should have?
A hospital plan is a medical aid plan provided by medical schemes that covers mostly in-hospital treatment with very limited or no additional day-to-day benefits. And they are for young, healthy persons who only need some extra cover should they be in an accident or require hospital treatment.
Importantly hospital options are an affordable medical aid option. Therefore they are perfect where members cannot afford a comprehensive medical aid.
What are the 13 signs of affordable hospital plans?
- Premiums that are not exorbitantly expensive.
- An unlimited annual limit that will ensure cover for the whole year.
- The minimum amount of co-payments required.
- Benefits that suit your needs.
- Some additional day-to-day cover.
- Benefits for casualty and trauma consultations.
- Benefits that cover specialist consultations and procedures in hospital.
- A claims pay out at 100% of medical aid scheme rates or more.
- A prevention and screening programme that provides at least one medical check-up or screening per year.
Post hospital treatment and medication benefits.- Benefits that cover internal prosthetics like hip and knee replacements.
- Maternity benefits or programmes.
- The plans should be provided by a scheme with high membership and a high solvency ratio.
How to find affordable hospital plans
- Acquire medical aid quotes from all available schemes. It will take some time but you will end up with all the options right in front of you.
- Study all the quotes in relation to benefits, scheme lures, scheme rates and additional benefits.
- If you live in a city or a big metro you might consider network options. You will be required to make use of network service providers but the premiums will cost you a lot less for the same or even better cover.
- Choose a plan that suits both your hospital cover needs and your pocket.
Some things to take note of:
- Schemes have to pay for the 270 diseases or conditions listed in the prescribed minimum benefits list. These include 25 chronic diseases.
- Late joiner penalties, exclusions and waiting periods may apply.
- You may not be rejected because of your race, medical history or HIV/AIDS status.
Affordable hospital plans are easy to come by and will provide you with in-hospital cover and sometimes even some limited day-to-day cover. It is advised that you study the available options extremely carefully.
This allows you to be able to make an informed choice that will leave you with the best cover, together with peace of mind that you will receive proper medical care when it is needed most.
Below are links to hospital plans offered by the various medical aid schemes:
Go here to apply for a health insurance quote
All info was correct at time of publishing