Our website is best
viewed in portrait

While medical aid is often one of those things that you get in case things go wrong, when life actually 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 you value for your subscription Rands even when you don’t have a medical emergency, however, you need to ensure that the option you have selected will be enough when you do have one. So how do you know if your medical aid is sufficient to cover for you and your dependents healthcare needs? Here are some signs that you might need to upgrade your medical aid option.

1. If your 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 your benefit limits to accommodate for inflation and other industry factors, your medical needs also change. So, if you found your benefits or savings depleted before the year has come to a close, leaving you unable to cover day-to-day medical expenses for you and you loved ones, it is a big indicator that you need to upgrade your medical aid option to ensure that you are always covered when you need it most.

2. If you have a new member in the family

It is always warm and exciting to welcome a tiny, adorable new member into your nest. Babies are cute, full of hope and smell amazing, but caring for them can also become expensive. Over and above the diapers, 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 dependents you add over time. This means that your cover might not be able to keep up with your growing family’s medical needs. Another thing to consider is if your option includes immunisations or benefits that cater to an illness that one of your dependants might be living with. If you are not sure that your cover is enough to cover your dependent’s medical needs, then it’s time to upgrade.

3. If you have 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 you 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 that ensure that you 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 you expect to have the procedure done is a far better option than paying for an option with insufficient cover, leaving you with thousands in hospital bills on top of your monthly subscriptions.

4. If you went through 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. Whenever you go through a life changing event, it is important that you re-evaluate your medical needs and ensure that you and your family are still fully covered. If you have doubts regarding the adequacy of your cover, then it is advisable to upgrade your 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 you would like to upgrade your benefit option please download and complete an individual or corporate option change form, and submit it to membership@bestmed.co.za no later than 31 December 2020.