{"id":725426,"date":"2023-10-18T08:38:41","date_gmt":"2023-10-18T06:38:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=725426"},"modified":"2023-10-18T08:38:47","modified_gmt":"2023-10-18T06:38:47","slug":"dont-be-cent-wise-and-rand-foolish-with-your-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/industry-news\/725426\/dont-be-cent-wise-and-rand-foolish-with-your-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Don\u2019t be cent-wise and rand-foolish with your health"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>In today\u2019s tough economic environment, people look for ways to cut costs and stretch their budget. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In many instances, this means considering a cheaper medical aid plan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.medihelp.co.za\/?Campaign=L24BT\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.medihelp.co.za\/?Campaign=L24BT\" target=\"_blank\">Learn more about Medihelp&#8217;s affordable plans here.<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>But, cheaper does not always mean better as many other factors besides price play a vital role in your decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When you shop around for a medical aid plan that suits your pocket, it is important to think carefully about the following aspects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Life stage<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The healthcare needs of you or your family differ and change during various life stages. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A young, single individual\u2019s health needs could differ significantly from those of a couple, a young family with tots, a family with teens and older children still living at home, or an older person who needs more medical attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Healthcare needs<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>It is impossible to predict the future. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But it is important to assess your current health condition, family history of serious health conditions, and your lifestyle choices. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This will help you to form a picture of specialists you\u2019ll potentially need to consult, treatment you may need to receive, and chronic medicine you might have to take. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And of course, life and accidents happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Budget<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If you choose a hospital plan, can you cover your day-to-day medical expenses? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you choose a savings plan and the savings run out, can you afford the co-payments or shortfalls? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A general rule of thumb is that your medical aid contribution should not exceed 10% of your monthly income.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Access to medical facilities<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Most medical aids also offer network medical aid plans where you are required to use specific hospitals, pharmacies, general practitioners, or specialists. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you choose a network plan, which is usually slightly cheaper, make sure you have access to the medical facilities on the medical scheme\u2019s list of providers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What you consider important<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Is it important to know that your medical aid plan covers emergencies and emergency transport, or not? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Is it important that your plan makes provision for contraceptives? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Is cover for radiology in and out of hospital an important factor?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All the above questions and considerations can help you make an informed decision about the right medical aid plan for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Medihelp<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Medihelp offers a range of 11 medical aid plans, each with various benefits. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our vital plans are ideal for first-time buyers of medical aid, our savings plans are for those who want to manage their expenses themselves, and our comprehensive plans cater for more extensive healthcare needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On MedVital, MedAdd, and MedElect, even if you have more than two children, you only pay for two babies, tots, and teens until they turn 18. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You also pay child dependant rates until children reach the age of 26. And on MedElect, students can get cover for under R1 000 per month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.medihelp.co.za\/?Campaign=L24BT\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.medihelp.co.za\/?Campaign=L24BT\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Learn more about Medihelp&#8217;s affordable plans here.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cheaper does not always mean better &#8211; including in the case of medical aid plans.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":57,"featured_media":725428,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10459],"tags":[12352],"class_list":["post-725426","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-industry-news","tag-medihelp"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/725426","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/57"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=725426"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/725426\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":725448,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/725426\/revisions\/725448"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/725428"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=725426"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=725426"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=725426"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}