Anyone here a discovery member?

I

InternetSwag

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Which medical aid should I choose?

Looking at Keycare + and coastal saver.

Do you get cheaper gym memberships just by being a discovery member?
 
I'm on Classic Saver Delta. For me it's a good compromise between saving ('Delta') and flexibility (I can at least go to any Delta hospital in SA rather than hope that something bad only happens to me if I'm near the coast). Also I compared the percentage payouts (percentage they'll pay for doctors' fees against the base Discovery rate), and Classic Saver was better than Keycare for that (and then again you pay for that privilege). I just figure it's an important line to draw in the sand, coz you don't want to finally have to use your big expensive medical aid and then be stuck with a massive co-payment required because your package doesn't cover specialist doctors' extortionate pricing.

Also having the savings pocket is useful for over-the-counter medicine (Dischem will charge your savings pocket directly for example - no payment needed in-pharmacy), and you get "free" GP visits once it's exhausted (which we've actually made use of - so it's not just a gimmick).

As for gym memberships, I think those are tied to having the additional optional Vitality membership, which I've never bothered with because I don't buy into the gym industrial complex :D
 
InternetSwag said:
Which medical aid should I choose?

Looking at Keycare + and coastal saver.

Do you get cheaper gym memberships just by being a discovery member?
Click to expand...

For rewards/discounts you need vitality membership on top of your plan.
 
Im on Classic Saver. I'm in too deep to get out. There are far better medical aids out there. Discovery seems to go to ridiculous lengths to avoid paying claims. Don't do it unless you have to.
 
Discovery Classic Core. 2 spine fusions without any co payments. Wife having angio and stents tomorrow and authorisation took 10 minutes on the phone with email recieved whilst still talking to cinsultant. Top notch !!
 
bromster said:
Im on Classic Saver. I'm in too deep to get out. There are far better medical aids out there. Discovery seems to go to ridiculous lengths to avoid paying claims. Don't do it unless you have to.
Click to expand...

Mind sharing what "too deep" and "ridiculous lengths" are? As a Discovery member it'd help me to know :)
 
Coastal core + gap cover is a winner. Or if inland then cheapest above coastal core + gap cover(around R250 pm)
 
Foxhound5366 said:
Mind sharing what "too deep" and "ridiculous lengths" are? As a Discovery member it'd help me to know :)
Click to expand...
1) Even with 200% cover at the so called 'discovery rate' , most of my specialist visits result in a copayment.

2) Most of the 'wow' benefits which attract people to signing up disappear after a few years. The old free gym benefit and Vitality Medical Savings Booster as an example.

3) They used a similar tactic to lure thousands of people into financing Apple Watches with them, requiring you to achieve a certain amount t of vitality points to avoid any copayment on the watch. Then, they totally shift the goal posts, making it more difficult for people to achieve the required points. As a result, thousands of people who thought that they would get a free watch are suddenly paying for it.

3) My dad has been in hospital waiting for surgery, when he was told that discovery don't cover this particular specialist at this particular hospital. This had my mom running around in a flat spin and being sent from pillar to post trying to get a concession for them to do the surgery at that hospital.

4) They took my credit card installment before the agreed upon date in December, pushing my account into overdraft. Then forced me to run around after them during the Christmas period to get them to refund my overdraft penalty fees, which took almost a week.


Too many small things to mention really. Every year your premium goes up, and benefits disappear. The only way to draw value from discovery is to bundle all of your services with them, which I have done. It is a lot of effort to maintain a Diamond Vitality Status, but I am forced by work to use Discovery. I just have to make do I guess.

Although it seems like there are many people with only good things to say, so take everything with a pinch of salt if you will.
 
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A lot of your issues would have been avoided with gap cover. You also clearly don't/didn't know what your policy covers and then feel entitled to complain, very common issue. Your discovery broker must be a useless twat, a good one should walk you through the pitfalls and advise on gap cover/best way to manage a hospital admission etc.

So many of the complaints about insurance/medical aid are because people don't know the product and assume it covers all their needs, then when they need it the truth rears it's ugly head.
 
airborne said:
A lot of your issues would have been avoided with gap cover. You also clearly don't/didn't know what your policy covers and then feel entitled to complain, very common issue. Your discovery broker must be a useless twat, a good one should walk you through the pitfalls and advise on gap cover/best way to manage a hospital admission etc.

So many of the complaints about insurance/medical aid are because people don't know the product and assume it covers all their needs, then when they need it the truth rears it's ugly head.
Click to expand...
Well said
 
Foxhound5366 said:
I'm on Classic Saver Delta. For me it's a good compromise between saving ('Delta') and flexibility (I can at least go to any Delta hospital in SA rather than hope that something bad only happens to me if I'm near the coast). Also I compared the percentage payouts (percentage they'll pay for doctors' fees against the base Discovery rate), and Classic Saver was better than Keycare for that (and then again you pay for that privilege). I just figure it's an important line to draw in the sand, coz you don't want to finally have to use your big expensive medical aid and then be stuck with a massive co-payment required because your package doesn't cover specialist doctors' extortionate pricing.

Also having the savings pocket is useful for over-the-counter medicine (Dischem will charge your savings pocket directly for example - no payment needed in-pharmacy), and you get "free" GP visits once it's exhausted (which we've actually made use of - so it's not just a gimmick).

As for gym memberships, I think those are tied to having the additional optional Vitality membership, which I've never bothered with because I don't buy into the gym industrial complex :D
Click to expand...
You understanding of coastal is flawed. If you are in JHB and something happens to you, you are covered

If you are in JHB and want to undergo elective surgery such as a cataract op or any other regular op then you pay a Co payment.

Yes I do know as I used to work for discovery's clinical dept
 
bromster said:
1) Even with 200% cover at the so called 'discovery rate' , most of my specialist visits result in a copayment.

2) Most of the 'wow' benefits which attract people to signing up disappear after a few years. The old free gym benefit and Vitality Medical Savings Booster as an example.

3) They used a similar tactic to lure thousands of people into financing Apple Watches with them, requiring you to achieve a certain amount t of vitality points to avoid any copayment on the watch. Then, they totally shift the goal posts, making it more difficult for people to achieve the required points. As a result, thousands of people who thought that they would get a free watch are suddenly paying for it.

3) My dad has been in hospital waiting for surgery, when he was told that discovery don't cover this particular specialist at this particular hospital. This had my mom running around in a flat spin and being sent from pillar to post trying to get a concession for them to do the surgery at that hospital.

4) They took my credit card installment before the agreed upon date in December, pushing my account into overdraft. Then forced me to run around after them during the Christmas period to get them to refund my overdraft penalty fees, which took almost a week.


Too many small things to mention really. Every year your premium goes up, and benefits disappear. The only way to draw value from discovery is to bundle all of your services with them, which I have done. It is a lot of effort to maintain a Diamond Vitality Status, but I am forced by work to use Discovery. I just have to make do I guess.

Although it seems like there are many people with only good things to say, so take everything with a pinch of salt if you will.
Click to expand...

Discovery do as businesses do. While I'm not impressed by Discovery changes.. I have to give them props for covering what they are expected to cover.

I think there are only a handful medical aid companies that can actually cover a large % of their user base as Discovery do which is why it's hard for me move off them for medical and life/disability.

Now in regards to changes to vitality.. Totally agree with you but then what other companies do not do this? It's a funny thing about business & customer relationships in SA.. We love to complain but rarely is the business put under pressure to change and this fault, funnily enough lays with customers. In SA we just accept and move on, sometimes kick up a fit but majority of times see the abuse and do so unto others (see traffic and how often taxi driver tactics are now used by luxury SUVs). SA needs a culture change for business to change.. Business won't change until this happens and even then.. Business is out there to make a profit or maintain sla's (medical?) so it's a tough one.. Vitality is marketing product..
 
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airborne said:
Coastal core + gap cover is a winner. Or if inland then cheapest above coastal core + gap cover(around R250 pm)
Click to expand...

Just a word on this... I'm with discovery and gap cover through Complimed.

Complained pays up to 500% of what your medical aid pays.. This means if discovery is paying 100%, then they cover you up to 5x that. The thing I didn't realize is if Medicaid covers u for 200%, then the gap cover will take it up to 5x that. This means... My gynae when my kids were born is now charging 900% medical aid rate, so if you are using her and u are on coastal plan from discovery - you will have to fork out a truck load of cash. My buddy just went through this in May... Thankfully I have always been on Classic plan so it was all good for us.

Read the fine print :-)
 
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