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While medical aid is often one of those things that you get in case things go wrong, when life happens, you’re glad that you have it. From everyday sniffles, aches and pains to life changing chronic disease diagnoses or emergencies, you need to ensure that your medical aid cover is always enough to take care of your family’s medical needs. With wellness and preventative care benefits, Bestmed options are enriched to give our members value for their subscription Rands even when they don’t have a medical emergency, however, members need to ensure that the option they have selected will be enough when they or their dependants do have one.

So, how does one know if their medical aid is sufficient to cover for their and their dependants’ healthcare needs? Here are some signs that your clients might need to upgrade their medical aid option.

1. If their option’s benefits did not last the whole year

Apart from hospital cover for emergencies and prescribed minimum benefits (PMBs), all the benefits of medical aid options are finite. We have all seen how the cost of medical care has become more and more exorbitant over the years. And, while Bestmed usually increases members’ benefit limits to accommodate for inflation and other industry factors, their medical needs also change. So, if they have found their benefits or savings depleted before the year has come to a close, leaving them unable to cover day-to-day medical expenses, it is a big indicator that they need to upgrade their medical aid option to ensure that they are always covered when they need it most.

2. If they have a new member in the family

It is always warm and exciting to welcome a tiny, adorable new member into the nest. Babies are cute, full of hope and smell amazing, but caring for them can also become expensive. Over and above the nappies, car seats and college funds, their healthcare needs also need to be tended to as they grow up. While Bestmed options are one of the most enriched in the industry, our benefit limits are calculated per family, regardless of the number of dependants that a member adds over time. This means that their cover might not be able to keep up with their growing family’s medical needs. Another thing to consider is whether or not their chosen option includes immunisations or benefits that cater to an illness that one of their dependants might be living with. If a member is not sure that their cover is enough to cover their dependent’s medical needs, then it’s time to upgrade.

3. Before an upcoming planned procedure

Nobody wants to have to deal with co-payments, paying a few extra Rands to buy the brand of medication that they swear by may be a minor inconvenience, but when dealing with an extensive or complicated medical procedure or treatment, this can come up to thousands Rands in unplanned co-payments.  This is why it is important to ensure that members have sufficient cover for planned procedures and treatments such as braces, back surgery or corrective eye surgery. Paying a bit more per month in subscriptions for an option with robust and comprehensive benefits for the year/s that a member expects to have the procedure done is a far better option than paying for an option with insufficient cover, leaving them with thousands in hospital bills on top of their monthly subscriptions.

4. After a life changing event

Whether it is a new job, new marriage or moving to a new city, life changing events can bring by a lot of unanticipated concerns. From adjusting to living in a blended family, recovering from an accident or having to take care of the children of a loved one who is suddenly unable to do so, these things have a huge impact on your life and, by extension, on your healthcare needs. When going through a life changing event, it is important that one re-evaluates their medical needs and ensure that they still fully covered. If there are doubts regarding the adequacy of cover, then it is advisable to upgrade one’s medical aid option for 2021

Bestmed option change window period for 2021 is open from 1 to 31 December 2020 with some extensions offered for certain corporate members. If your clients would like to upgrade their benefit option, they can do so by downloading and completing an individual or corporate option change form, and submitting it to membership@bestmed.co.za no later than 31 December 2020.