More and more South Africans are experiencing financial problems leading them to try to cut costs and thus leading them to cancel their medical aid. As Daberistic we advise you that you do not have to stay without cover and there are other affordable solutions that will give you peace of mind. We share below about Health Insurance. What is Health insurance? Is a type of insurance coverage that pays for medical, surgical, and sometimes dental expenses incurred by the insured. Health insurance can reimburse the insured for expenses incurred from illness or injury, or pay the care provider directly. The benefit could either be a fixed sum of money per day or a maximum lump sum of money which is paid if a specified health event takes place (e.g. a specific health condition develops). Health insurance policies usually only pay out if certain specific health-related events happen and do not pay your medical expenses as a medical aid scheme would. Unique Principles 1. Limitations and prohibitions: A hospitalisation policy may not cover medical expenses. A health policy, other than a Gap cover policy, may not require the policyholder or insured person to be a member of a medical aid scheme. 2. Waiting period: A hospitalisation policy, gap cover policy and HIV/Aids, tuberculosis and malaria testing and treatment policy may provide for a – general waiting period of up to 3 months; and A condition-specific waiting period of up to 12 months. An insurer may not impose a condition-specific waiting period on a policyholder’s health insurance policy if that policyholder, for at least 90 days before entering into a health policy with the insurer, had a health policy with materially similar benefits and had completed the condition-specific waiting period in respect of that health policy. Where a waiting period of a policyholder under a previous health policy had not expired at the time that that policyholder enters into a new health policy with materially similar benefits, the insurer may only impose a waiting period equalling the unexpired part of the waiting period in respect of that previous policy. 3. Disclosure requirements: A hospitalisation policy, gap cover policy and HIV/Aids, tuberculosis and malaria testing and treatment policy may not create the impression that it is a substitute for medical aid scheme membership. A hospitalisation policy may not create the impression that it covers you for medical expenses. Three areas where Medical Aid Schemes and Health Insurance differ: If you would like to apply for health insurance, contact Jo in our Health department tel: (011)658-1333 email: service@daberistic.com
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All Medical aid Options would include: Accidental or emergency medical hospitalisation, maternity benefits, chronic illness benefits, oncology benefits, mammogram screening (once every 2 years), pap smear screening (once every 3 years), and prostate cancer screening (once a year). Below we detail each cover and how it works. Hospitalisation Whether your medical aid option is a hospital plan or a savers plan, as long as you are hospitalized in South Africa and obtain the hospitalization pre-authorization, you are covered. In case of emergency hospitalization, the hospital will contact the Medical aid company directly and obtain authorization When hospitalized, the hospital bill and the doctors’ bills are separate. In the case of elective hospitalization (planned procedure), the Medical Aid company will pay the hospital bill in full (in most of the cases). In terms of doctor's fees, medical aid company will pay according to the scheme rate. For example, if the scheme rate for a certain operation is R5,000, but the doctor can decide how much to charge. If the doctor charges R15,000, the Medical Aid company will only pay R5,000, and the remaining R10,000 is your liability. If you have Gap Cover, the the co-payment can be claimed back. If the patient is hospitalized due to an accident, an emergency or critical illness (such as cerebral hemorrhage), the doctor does not charge more than scheme rate, and the Medical Aid company will pay for the medical cost, and this is unlimited. In addition to applying for pre-authorization for hospitalization, you can also apply for pre-authorization with the Medical Aid company if you need to do endoscopy (as out-of-hospital) so that the Medical Aid company will settle the medical expenses. It should be noted that if your endoscopy is done in a hospital or a day hospital, you will need to pay a co-payment; If it is done in the doctor's room, there won’t be a co-payment. What should you do if the doctor asks you to request for pre-authorization? You need to ask the doctor for the following information and provide it to the Medical Aid company: • Medical aid membership number • Name the patient • Reasons for hospitalization or surgical items • Date and time of admission • Name and practice number of doctor • Hospital name and practice number • ICD10 codes and procedure codes Maternity Benefit If you have confirmed your pregnancy with your doctor, you can activate the maternity benefits with the Medical Aid company. After that, your medical aid would compensate 8 maternity check-ups up to scheme rate (about R480). Each obstetrician and gynecologists' charges different fees, you will then need to pay the amount exceeding the scheme rate. If your Gap Cover is with Sirago Ultimate option, 4 out of the 8 times, you may claim back the difference paid. Chronic Benefit If you are diagnosed with chronic illness, you can ask your medical aid broker for a chronic illness benefit application form, and ask your doctor to fill it out and send it to the Medical Aid company (or send it to the broker, who will send it to the Medical Aid company). In this way, you can go to the pharmacy for medicine every month, and the Medical Aid company will pay for the medicine. Cancer If you are diagnosed with cancer, you need your oncologist to provide a treatment plan and histology report to the Medical Aid company. Once the oncology benefit is activated, the first R200k of each cycle (12 months) will be paid in full, up to scheme rate. After that, Medical Aid company will pay 80%, and the remaining 20% will be your own expense. (if you have Gap Cover, the 20% co-payment amount can be claimed back) If your Gap Cover is Sirago's Ultimate option, the Gap cover will also compensate you R25k. Day-to-day Medical Expenses - Medical Savings If you are on a Savers option (or higher), you can enjoy day-to-day benefits. Every January, Discovery gives you your full-year savings which you may use throughout the year, if the savings are not used up by the end of the year, it gets rolled over to the next year and you can accumulate it and earn interest. If you are on a Priority, Comprehensive, or Executive plan, you also enjoy the Above Threshold Benefits, given that you have paid up the Self Payment Gap. What can you use Medical Savings for? You can use your Medical Savings for any out-of-hospital medical-related expenses, including but not limited to doctors' consultations, over-the-counter medication, dentists, glasses, certain co-payments (scopes, out-of-hospital CT/MRI scans), etc. Once the savings are used up, you will then need to pay for the medical expenses from your own pocket, until January the following year. Written by: Tammy Hua If you would like to review your Medical Aid option contact Tammy email: service@daberistic.com (tel)11)658-1333 Ext 106 Due to pandemic, rising costs and high taxes are eroding pensions and retirement savings in South Africa. Many are forced to use the state-funded healthcare services which is already under pressure, causing long queues and even longer waiting lists. There is no doubt that we want the best medical attention for our elderly parents when they fall ill therefore private health care is our solution. It is important to understand what options is best suited for your aging parent’s needs. Where do you start? You would need to sit down and discuss with your parents and obtain the following information:
Once you have answers to the above, the next set of questions you need to discuss is to do a realistic budget to finance the plan.
What if your parents cannot contribute? If your aging parents are financially dependent on you and you happen to be main member of a medical aid policy, you may consider adding them as your dependent as this means they can pay a reduced rate. However, they will be on the same option plan as you, should your option not be sufficient to cover their needs, your option is to upgrade your plan. If you’re on an option that includes savings, they become eligible for using your savings. You will need to be prepared for savings being exhausted due to extensive care required. What happens when parents don’t qualify as your dependent? If you decide to not add parents as Dependants or due to parents not qualifying to be your dependent, they can always choose a medical option according to budget and below are things to consider for when choosing your option. Full medical cover (with savings): On a comprehensive option, most elements are covered for. Such as hospital admission, chronic medication and day to day expenses, medical equipment, and possibly dentistry and optometry. These plans vary widely therefore, read through entire plan before signing up to make sure it qualifies all your parent’s needs. Basic hospital plan: These covers around 90% of hospital procedures, basic prescribed minimum benefit (PMB) condition and cancer benefit. It excludes expenses such as none PMB approved medication, equipment, doctor’s visits, optometry, or dentistry. This may not be a full coverage but highly affordable option. Gap cover is always recommended by Daberistic as this boosts your unforeseen gap payment by 500%. To read more about gap cover click here. What else to keep in mind?
If you would like cover for your parents, please contact Namhla or Tammy in our health department, email Service@daberistic.com, Tel 011-658 1333, option 2 for Medical Aid. The world has really gone digital for anything and everything. Discovery has their app available for any person who has at least one active Discovery product. To start using the app you must be registered on Discovery website. If you have not registered you can click this link to take you through the steps Click here. You will use the same username and password for the app as for the Discovery website. To assist with downloading the Discovery App, please click link: How to download the Discovery App If you have a Discovery Medical aid you may do the following on the app;
See below for listed details: Digital cards
Please click here for list of screening and benefit covers Track Vitality status and goals
If you have any questions on Discovery health mobile app, please contact Tammy or Jo in our Health department, tel: 011 658-1333, email: service@daberistic.com
3. Good nutrition isn't all about what you don't eat, it's often just as important to add in more nourishing nutrients. This ensures you get enough vitamins and minerals.
Try slicing up raw veggies and keeping them bagged in the fridge as snacks, far easier to grab when they're already bite sized. 4. Another simple, festive trick to up your fruit and Veggie intake. Eat as much of the rainbow as you can. At each meal, see if you can introduce one more colour to your main or side dish. 5. Some call them nature's candy - for good reason. Fruits make excellent desserts, and they are also a key part of a healthy diet, filled with disease-fighting nutrients. 6. Skipping breakfast will likely make you hungrier later in the day, and more prone to overeating unhealthy foods. Morning meal represents a prime opportunity to boost your diet with produce. 7. A good night's rest can also go a long way in keeping you on track. When you are sleep deprived, you are more likely to eat mindlessly and crave high-fat, high-sugar foods. 8. Walking is a good way to fit more activity into your day. Breathing fresh air and seeing different scenery is good for metal health and depression. Getting your blood circulating will assist in reducing your risk for chronic health conditions. Momentum Medical Scheme focuses more than ever on keeping benefit design stable and ensuring that their members continue to enjoy comprehensive and affordable benefits. The 3rd largest open medical aid scheme in South Africa, Momentum Medical Scheme has announced an average annual contribution increase of 3.9% for 2021. This is substantially lower that the weighted average annual contribution increase of 8.2% for 2020.
If you have any queries or are interested in joining Momentum Medical Scheme, please contact us on 011-658-1333, 076-200-5488 or email service@daberistic.com. Discovery continues to lead the industry by rolling out exciting benefits and offerings: Mental wellbeing Shari'ah compliance arrangement Infertility and assisted reproductive therapy benefit Hospital network and day surgery updates New clinic and other services for employers Diabetes care programme Chronic Illness Benefits Co-payments and deductibles To find out more, please click on each tab below.
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Mental wellbeing Statistics according to WHO shows one in four people in the world will be affected by mental disorders at some point in their lives, this positions mental disorder amongst one of the leading causes of ill-health worldwide. Mental ill-ness often left undiagnosed and with 84% of adults never receiving treatment and this impacts society and WHO estimates cost to global economy may exceed $16 trillion by 2030. Discovery’s approach to alleviate this disorder, they have introduced management in mental wellbeing. Below programs offered are:
Shari’ah compliant arrangement From 2021 members from our Muslim community can appoint to have their contribution and claims across all plans to conform with Shari’ah principles through the Shari’ah compliant arrangement. • Model is compliant and is based on Takaful principles • Process flow happens in an acceptable manner • No interest earned or paid at any stage • No ambiguity in contracts • Members’ interests are protected • Investments are managed in Shari’ah Compliant manner • No interest earned or paid on Shari’ah Compliant arrangement. Funds will be invested in a compliant manner allowing members opportunity to earn profit on Medical Savings Account balances. • Members that partake in this arrangement attain affirmation on their contribution and balances remaining after settlement of claims and other expenditure will be invested in Shari’ah compliant investments. Infertility and assisted reproductive Therapy benefit When a couple is looking forward to building a family and the incapability to fall pregnant is aggravating. It affects many families and takes a emotional toll, however, many infertility cases can be remedied through treatment such as drug, surgical repair and assisted reproductive techniques including intra-urine insemination (IUI) and in vitro fertilisation (IVF). Taking a leap of faith on possibility to become a parent can come with a price tag, an average of R65000.00 – R85000.00 for a single IVF treatment cycle, this may be a hefty cost for many families in which will hinder and or have reservations from taking on this treatment. Discovery would like to support couples/ families distressed from infertility with introducing cover for Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) and the benefit will include cover for: • Up to two cycles of ART if Scheme’s benefit and clinical entry criteria are met. • This includes a series of care for the progress of the full duration: consultations, ultrasounds, oocyte retrieval, embryo transfers, admission costs including lab fees, medication and embryo and sperm storage. • The total limit of R110 000.00 per person per year at Discovery health rate applies. • Members will be subject to 25% of the costs and any excess above the Discovery Health Rate. • This benefit will be attainable at Southern African Society of Reproductive Medicine and Gynaecological Endoscopy (SASREG) accredited centres only and subject to clinical pathways and protocols. • Lastly, the benefit is only available to female members that has been on Executive and Comprehensive Plans for at least 2 years and the age between 25-42 years old.
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Chronic Illness Benefits
Diabetes Care Programme 2021 Premier Plus GP network will become the Designated service provider for members with Diabetes on the comprehensive plans. It is supported by the extensive coverage offered by the Premier Plus GP network and the clinical outcomes achieved by the diabetes care programme. The chosen GP will be member’s DSP for the ongoing management of diabetes as well as cardiovascular conditions. Statistics has shown in improvement when member’s care is coordinated by a single doctor. Hospital Network Updates and Day Surgery New hospitals will be added, and some existing hospitals will be replaced with region specific substitutions for 2021 to ensure continued optimisation of the Delta, Smart and KeyCare hospital networks In the Day Surgery, they will extend this offer to Comprehensive plans given focus on provider and patient safety because of COVID-19. The 2021 new hospital network and day surgery lists will be published by the end of October 2020.
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Limits, Co-payments, deductible and Thresholds
Next: Vitality 2021 - To Help members stay motivated Co-payments For Endoscopic Procedures
New Clinic and Other Services for Employers Daily monitoring of COVID-19 exposure, prevalence, and disease progression:
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