Why are hospital plans generally cheaper?
Hospital plans are generally cheaper than comprehensive medical aid benefit options. A hospital plan is nonetheless a fully-fledged medical aid benefit option and provides excellent in-hospital cover.
One of the main differences between a hospital plan and a “comprehensive medical aid plan” is the amount of out-of-hospital cover that the two options provide. Your more comprehensive, or traditional options, usually offer out-of-hospital cover through a member-managed medical savings plan. Members use their savings benefit to pay for out-of-hospital benefits such as doctor visits, medication, optometrist examinations, and the like.
Having a medical scheme that manages your savings account (your own money) on your behalf is however a rather expensive form of saving. It’s your own money, but your medical scheme manages it on your behalf. In addition, medical schemes charge an administration fee of approximately 13%. Therefore, for every R1,000 of savings benefit that is included in your monthly premium, you effectively only get R870 that is yours to use.
In contrast, most hospital plans offer only limited, or no, out-of-hospital benefits.
Why would people then consider a hospital plan?
The most important consideration is that – in general – there is no difference between the quality of private healthcare between hospital plans and comprehensive medical aid plans. Regardless of what you pay, or which option you are on – you get the same bed and the same quality treatment in a private hospital.
Whether you give birth, or have your tonsils removed, or are in a big car accident, or have a heart attack or stroke – your medical treatment for “the big accident, illness or disease” in a hospital should be more or less the same.
Both plans also cover the standard 26 chronic conditions, such as asthma, high blood pressure, and the like, more or less in the same way.
Choosing a hospital plan
Choosing the right hospital plan can be a difficult decision. There are currently 16 open medical aid schemes in South Africa, each offering their own hospital plan benefit options. Each hospital plan, in turn, offers its own unique basket of benefits at different monthly contributions.
What is covered by a hospital plan?
Hospital plan benefit options provide cover for medically appropriate treatment when a member is admitted to hospital. Hospital and related accounts, such as theatre costs, X-rays, medication, blood tests, blood transfusions, etc., will usually be covered in full.
Doctors’ and specialists’ fees will be reimbursed at the medical scheme rate, i.e. 100% or 200%
Cost of hospital plans in 2024
The table below depicts the monthly contributions of non-income based hospital plans in South Africa (in price order of single adult contributions for 2024) as displayed by Comparemed (a web application designed to generate detailed comparative medical aid quotes). The table also depicts the cost of the respective hospital plans for 2 adults and 2 children.
Medical Scheme
Hospital Plan
Cost ( R )
1 Adult
Genesis
MED-100
R 1,530
Momentum
Evolve
R 1,687
Bestmed
Beat 1 Network
R 1,873
KeyHealth
Essence
R 1,990
Bonitas
BonEssential Select
R 1,998
Medihelp MedVital Elect
R 2,022
Bestmed
Beat 1
R 2,082
Genesis
MED-200
R 2,130
Discovery
Essential Delta Core
R 2,281
Bonitas
BonEssential
R 2,287
CompCare
MedX ED
R 2,508
Discovery
Coastal Core
R 2,659
Discovery
Classic Delta Core
R 2,714
Momentum
Custom: Associated Hospitals,
Chronic: Associated
R 2,770
Discovery
Essential Core
R 2,855
Bonitas
Hospital Standard
R 2,964
Discovery
Classic Core
R 3,322
CompCare
MedX
R 3,428
Medshield
MediCore
R 3,474
Medical Scheme Hospital Plan
Cost ( R )
2 Adults +
2 Children
Genesis
MED-100
R 4,040
Bonitas
BonEssential Select
R 4,780
Bestmed
Beat 1 Network
R 4,907
KeyHealth
Essence
R 5,019
Medihelp
MedVital Elect
R 5,196
Bestmed
Beat 1
R 5,448
Bonitas
BonEssential
R 5,455
Genesis
MED-200
R 5,480
Discovery
Essential Delta Core
R 5,827
CompCare
MedX ED
R 6,586
Momentum
Evolve
R 6,748
Momentum
Custom: Associated Hospitals,
Chronic: Associated
R 6,876
Discovery
Classic Delta Core
R 6,882
Discovery
Coastal Core
R 6,907
Discovery
Essential Core
R 7,288
Bonitas
Hospital Standard
R 7,715
Medshield
MediCore
R 8,016
Discovery
Classic Core
R 8,601
CompCare
MedX
R 8,814
Consider your private healthcare options
High-cost medial aid benefit options with medical savings account may not necessarily offer better risk benefits. Ultimately, medical scheme cover is there to provide peace of mind and access to funding for the “big ticket” private healthcare costs.
Hospitalisation costs may run into the hundreds of thousands or even millions of Rands. It is therefore important to make sure that you have sufficient risk cover in place (i.e. hospital and related costs). As day-to-day expenses can be managed separately on an as-and-when basis, more and more people are considering good value-for-money hospital plans.
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.
Join a Genesis Hospital Plan today!
Our hospital plans will cover you in hospital for planned and emergency hospital admissions.
Doctors and specialists are covered at 100% of the Scheme Tariff on the MED-100 option and at 200% of the Scheme Tariff on the MED-200 option.
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