Discovery Classic Smart vs Coastal Core - Breaking down all the differences

saor said:
Was thinking of changing from Coastal Core but after recently using it to cover my sleep study I'm not so sure anymore. At least on Coastal Core you can use any hospital in the coastal network and the convenience of being able to use the closest hospital is quite nice when you need it.
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I do also prefer the flexibility.

Which is why I have Coastal Core and not Coastal Saver because now I don’t get dictated on how I can spend my own money stuck in an MSA.
 
What is the benefit of a medical savings account if I could simply save the difference between premiums in my own personal savings account plus earn interest? Even with employer contributions it just seems like a loss to me
 
Lefty309 said:
What is the benefit of a medical savings account if I could simply save the difference between premiums in my own personal savings account plus earn interest? Even with employer contributions it just seems like a loss to me
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There are some small side benefits to the medical savings account if it runs out you will still have partial cover but if you are someone that rarely uses the medical savings acc it's far better to just have a core plan and save the money yourself.
 
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Lefty309 said:
What is the benefit of a medical savings account if I could simply save the difference between premiums in my own personal savings account plus earn interest? Even with employer contributions it just seems like a loss to me
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In addition what airborne said, you also get the full amount of the savings account up front at the start of the year. So its like a little advance which might be advantageous for some who can only just afford this package and can't build up their own savings reliably.
 
Lefty309 said:
What is the benefit of a medical savings account if I could simply save the difference between premiums in my own personal savings account plus earn interest? Even with employer contributions it just seems like a loss to me
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The only time it might be useful is if you are getting sick a lot, but for the majority of people its a total waste.
 
Lefty309 said:
What is the benefit of a medical savings account if I could simply save the difference between premiums in my own personal savings account plus earn interest? Even with employer contributions it just seems like a loss to me
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It usually comes with better coverage and benefit as well. More treatment options etc.
 
Lefty309 said:
What is the benefit of a medical savings account if I could simply save the difference between premiums in my own personal savings account plus earn interest? Even with employer contributions it just seems like a loss to me
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Exactly what I do.

You get more out for the difference as well.
 
RedViking said:
It usually comes with better coverage and benefit as well. More treatment options etc.
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It doesn’t, not if it’s the same plan with MSA and the same plan without.

Coastal Core and Coastal Saver.

Exact same plan one just doesn’t have MSA.
 
animal531 said:
The only time it might be useful is if you are getting sick a lot, but for the majority of people its a total waste.
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Even if you get sick a lot as long as you are saving the MSA yourself it makes no difference.

Unless you desperately need it to be funded up front it makes far more sense to park it in your home loan and score some good interest.
 
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RedViking said:
Cheaper plans not much of a difference, But discovery has a nice comparison document:

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And pretty much all of it is them using your MSA to pay for **** which “isn’t covered” by the non-MSA plans.

The day to day “benefits” = Your MSA.

It’s a ****ing scam.

Skip the MSA (but save it yourself obviously) and add gap cover and you are far better off for it.
 
RedViking said:
Cheaper plans not much of a difference, But discovery has a nice comparison document:

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What benefit exactly do you get having a MSA vs just saving the MSA portion of your monthly Medical aid bill in your own interest bearing bank account?
There is some benefit but it’s marginal last I looked, for instance they may subsided a portion of say physio charges once the MSA is depleted but that's it and a fair whack is still coming out of your own pocket.
 
SauRoNZA said:
And pretty much all of it is them using your MSA to pay for **** which “isn’t covered” by the non-MSA plans.

The day to day “benefits” = Your MSA.

It’s a ****ing scam.

Skip the MSA (but save it yourself obviously) and add gap cover and you are far better off for it.
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airborne said:
What benefit exactly do you get having a MSA vs just saving the MSA portion of your monthly Medical aid bill in your own interest bearing bank account?
There is some benefit but it’s marginal last I looked, for instance they may subsided a portion of say physio charges once the MSA is depleted but that's it and a fair whack is still coming out of your own pocket.
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Some doctors actually give preferable rates to the medical aid compared to paying cash. I do agree with gap cover. But just remember that gap cover only covers the additional amount what your medical aid covers. If your medical aid doesn't cover something then the gap cover wont cover that either (unless its an additional benifet of the gap cover).
 
RedViking said:
Some doctors actually give preferable rates to the medical aid compared to paying cash. I do agree with gap cover. But just remember that gap cover only covers the additional amount what your medical aid covers. If your medical aid doesn't cover something then the gap cover wont cover that either (unless its an additional benifet of the gap cover).
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I’ve never found that any doctor gives you a better rate for the medical aid and dealing with that.

Paying them here and now and claiming it back myself is always where the discounts come from.

You are right on the gap only covering things they would pay for, certainly but that’s where choosing the gap to match comes into play. By and large gap cover is there for hospital benefits, not day to day cover.
 
It's that time of the year again, we have until 19 December 2026 to make any plan changes.
Is the Classic Smart Plan + Gap Cover still the best value Discovery Hospital Plan?

It's been a game changer for me to be able to go to the Doctor as often as I want for just R70 co-payment, likewise the subsidised Dentist checkup, Eye test and the sports injury benefit has been a nice bonus.
 
airborne said:
It's that time of the year again, we have until 19 December 2026 to make any plan changes.
Is the Classic Smart Plan + Gap Cover still the best value Discovery Hospital Plan?

It's been a game changer for me to be able to go to the Doctor as often as I want for just R70 co-payment, likewise the subsidised Dentist checkup, Eye test and the sports injury benefit has been a nice bonus.
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I think so still. There is a active smart for younger folks but I haven't investigated it fully.
 
I'm on classic saver & want to downgrade. Still stuck between classic smart or classic delta saver .
 
ice_cubes said:
I'm on classic saver & want to downgrade. Still stuck between classic smart or classic delta saver .
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What's the advantages of Delta Saver?
Classic Smart with a good gap cover is the best value hospital plan Discovery offers, that's assuming they haven't made any major changes for 2026.
 
airborne said:
What's the advantages of Delta Saver?
Classic Smart with a good gap cover is the best value hospital plan Discovery offers, that's assuming they haven't made any major changes for 2026.
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The biggest difference I picked up was that you have to use a Delta network hospital.
 
ice_cubes said:
The biggest difference I picked up was that you have to use a Delta network hospital.
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Most gap-covers will cover the Co-payment when you use a non-network hospital on Classic Smart
 
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