By getting the best gap cover, you at least don’t have to add a whole lot of “being hospitalised stress” to your doing life agenda. In South Africa, medical aid gap cover isn’t something nice and helpful to have. It has become a vital necessity if you don’t want to face financial gloom. Without the best gap cover you can be at the mercy of massively high medical bills that can sink you.
This medical aid gap cover is used to pay for those gaps between what your doctor charges you for a treatment performed in hospital and what your medical aid will pay out. Your medical aid only pays out a certain amount, so if there is something over and above what they are prepared to pay, you will have to pay the shortfall out of your own pocket.
The 500%+ gap cover is the most sought after
The best and most popular medical gap cover is the one that offers in-hospital cover, oncology-, co-payment-, and sub-limit cover to the level of 500% or more.
With gap cover so important then, the next thing you have to find out for yourself is where to find the best gap cover in South Africa? Obviously, the gap cover will have to be affordable, but good too.
Some gap covers suit individuals and families under 60, while others are best suited for individuals and families over the age of 60.
Who gives this gap cover? Some medical aids give this gap cover and some insurance companies give it. It can be quite a mission choosing the gap cover as there are many policies and also many different insurers.
What may be considered a good medical aid gap cover provider by one person may not be the right cover for somebody else. That is why good research is so important. You will find information on the best gap cover providers in South Africa or the top 5 gap cover providers in South Africa and you can start getting some ideas as to where to start looking for good cover.
Gap Cover – You HAVE to be a medical aid member
This gap cover is a short term insurance product, covering the gap between your medical aid plan and what your doctor charges. Remember that you can only apply for this gap cover when you are a member of a registered medical scheme.
Some of the best gap cover provider names to know in medical gap cover circles include –
- Zestlife
- Turnberry
- Sanlam
- Ambledown
- KaeloXelus Fusion
- ABSA
- Stratum
- Complimed
These are just some of the best gap cover providers in South Africa. This isn’t at all an exhaustive list of providers – just the best known to South Africans. These gap cover providers are in a strong financial position to pay as they promise.
Check out the waiting periods
As you start researching them, you want to look at what their waiting periods are for new policyholders. If you have chronic long-term conditions, you will need to give special attention to the waiting periods that these gap cover providers have.
You want to also have the assurance that the gap cover provider you choose will address all of your medical expense shortfalls adequately.
Are your benefits being used?
Many of the benefits offered by gap-cover providers will need to be reviewed to see if they are being used meaningfully or are just a wasted expense. Make sure that your gap cover matches the medical expense shortfalls you are likely to experience.
The best gap cover policies are still as important as ever in the South African market, more so while medical aids continue to reduce their own expenditures and increase the expenditure of members.
Some of the entry-level policies can be had for as little as R200 a month. Whatever gap cover costs, In 2021, it is still an important tool for managing your medical aid expenses.
Before you get stuck with massive co-payment bills, sign up for gap cover. Start by completing and submitting the form on this page.