Raising a family in South Africa comes with both joy and responsibility. One of the most important decisions any family can make is selecting the right medical aid plan.
From doctors’ visits and hospital cover to maternity benefits and paediatric care, adequate healthcare cover can provide peace of mind. However, with rising living costs, many South African families are searching for affordable options that still deliver quality medical benefits.
In this blog, we will take a look at the affordable medical aid options offered by Genesis Medical Scheme.
What Families Should Look for in a Medical Aid Plan
Before comparing benefit options, it’s useful to understand what elements typically matter most for families:
- Affordability, especially for growing families with more than one child
- In-hospital cover for both planned and emergency treatment
- The luxury to choose your own hospital and your doctors and specialists
- Day-to-day benefits, such as GP visits, prescribed medication and specialist consultations
- Maternity benefits, including antenatal visits, the cost of delivery and immediate cover for your baby
- Child healthcare, including dental care
- Auxiliary benefits and screening tests
- Personal service, accessibility and quick turnaround times on queries
Why Consider Genesis?
Genesis Medical Scheme is widely recognised as one of the best value-for-money and cost-effective open medical schemes in South Africa.
Since 1995, their member service has been characterised by great empathy and consideration, with reliability, responsiveness and peace of mind at the core of their service culture.
The Scheme has a strong focus on long-term sustainability. For more than a decade now, they have managed to announce the lowest average contribution increases in the open medical schemes market.
Benefit options
Members can select to join either one of their excellent HOSPITAL PLANS, or a MEDICAL AID PLAN that offers excellent in-hospital cover along with generous day-to-day benefits.
Genesis MED-100 option
- This entry-level benefit option is ideally suited for younger individuals / families seeking access to affordable in-hospital private medical cover.
- It provides unlimited in-hospital cover for planned and emergency hospital admissions.
- Doctors / specialists are covered at 100% of the Scheme Tariff.
- Out-of-hospital benefits for cancer are limited to PMB treatment in public hospitals only.
- It includes a variety of generous basic dentistry benefits. In-and out-of-hospital benefits are covered by the Scheme at 100% of the Scheme Tariff.
- It also includes preventative screening benefits such as mammograms, cervical (PAP) smears and prostate specific antigen (PSA) tests.
- All other day-to-day healthcare expenses are self-funded.
Genesis Med-200
- This benefit option is ideally suited for individuals / families seeking a wider range of, and more inclusive, mainly in-hospital private medical cover.
- It provides unlimited in-hospital cover for planned and emergency hospital admissions.
- Doctors / specialists are covered at 200% of the Scheme Tariff.
- It includes a variety of generous basic dentistry benefits. In- and out-of-hospital benefits are covered by the Scheme at 100% of the Scheme Tariff.
- It also includes out-of-hospital cover for plain radiography (i.e. X-rays and ultra-sound) / MRI / CT scans.
- It covers benefits for colonoscopies and gastroscopies, as well as preventative screening benefits such as mammograms, cervical (PAP) smears and prostate specific antigen (PSA) tests.
- All other day-to-day healthcare expenses are self-funded.
Genesis Med-200 Plus
- This benefit option is ideally suited for individuals / families seeking a wider range of, and more inclusive, in- and out-of-hospital private medical cover.
- It provides unlimited in-hospital cover for planned and emergency hospital admissions.
- Doctors / specialists are covered at 200% of the Scheme Tariff.
- It includes a variety of generous basic dentistry benefits. In- and out-of-hospital benefits are covered by the Scheme at 100% of the Scheme Tariff.
- It also includes out-of-hospital cover for plain radiography (i.e. X-rays and ultra-sound) / MRI / CT scans.
- It covers benefits for colonoscopies and gastroscopies, as well as preventative screening benefits such as mammograms, cervical (PAP) smears and prostate specific antigen (PSA) tests.
- And lastly, it provides additional cover for day-to-day healthcare expenses that can be funded by means of a generous Self Managed Fund (SMF) facility (R9 900 per adult per annum).
Understanding Maternity and Child Healthcare Coverage
Provided that there are no waiting periods applicable to a pregnancy, expectant mothers can claim their antenatal expenses from their available SMF benefit on the MED-200 Plus option, as well as the out-of-hospital radiography benefit on the MED-200 and MED-200 Plus benefit options. Antenatal expenses for members on the MED-100 benefit option will be self-funded.
All benefit options will cover the cost of childbirth in hospital, as well as neonatal care for babies after birth.
Routine immunisations for infants and children will also be covered by available SMF benefits for members on the MED-200 Plus option.
Flexibility and Control
One feature that sets Genesis apart from many other medical schemes, is the freedom it gives their members in selecting their own / preferred hospitals, doctors and medical specialists. Members are not forced to seek treatment from network service providers that may restrict their choice in terms of treatment options.
Transparency in Benefits and Pricing
Understanding what your monthly contribution covers is crucial when choosing a medical aid. Genesis Medical Scheme clearly outlines what is included in each of its benefit options, without hidden fees or the use of vague wording. This transparency is valuable for families who are budgeting carefully and want to avoid any unexpected shortfalls or co-payments.
Why Many Families Are Choosing Genesis
Genesis Medical Scheme has positioned itself as one of the most competitively priced schemes offering access to private healthcare. Its clear, easy-to-understand plan structures and transparent pricing make it especially attractive to young and growing families.
What’s more, Genesis does not force members into restrictive provider networks, which can be a limitation. This open approach allows families to make healthcare decisions based on their needs and preferences, rather than being locked into network providers.
PLEASE NOTE: The information provided herein is for information purposes only and is not intended to flout or in any other way compromise the conditions prescribed in the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act’s General Code of Conduct insofar as comparing different financial products with each other is concerned. Nothing herein contained is intended to be advice and any uncertainty regarding anything said should be referred to an accredited financial advisor.
Aldre le Grange
Independent Content Writer
