Is it worth it having medical aid in SA?

Is it worth it having medical aid in SA?

  • Yes

    Votes: 94 82.5%

  • No

    Votes: 20 17.5%
  • Total voters
    114
BrrIan said:
Medical savings accounts attached to medical aids are probably the least worthwhile part.



.
Click to expand...

You realise that the msa contribution is the same as what goes into the msa, doesn't cost you anything. And makes your years savings available up front should you need it...
 
Sinbad said:
You realise that the msa contribution is the same as what goes into the msa, doesn't cost you anything. And makes your years savings available up front should you need it...
Click to expand...

Yeah, what he means is that the old style med aids that covered everything with no stupid savings crap were mch better.
 
pinball wizard said:
Yeah, what he means is that the old style med aids that covered everything with no stupid savings crap were mch better.
Click to expand...

Yeah true. None of those left...
I don't mind the discovery comprehensive stuff - once savings is gone and threshold is reached, they start paying day to day stuff from risk.
 
It is critical to have medical aid. I once thought I was smart and did the calculations on categories available vs the difference between hospital plan and medical aid and worked it it was cheaper to save the difference and pay cash. What I missed was the insurance aspect of medical aid. If you are the unlucky family and get a serious chronic condition or dread disease like Cancer then a lot of money gets paid in addition the categories. Medical aid hence also has a large insurance aspect to it whcih most people fail to understand.

We where that unlucky family and my daughter has 3 serious conditions. Her monthly medication comes to about R10 000. Its all paid out of Chronic and ex gratia funds, not categories. If I was not on medical aid when we discovered the conditions had I joined those conditions would have been excluded for future cover. Hence my advice is just get on it and stay on it. You never know what will happen and people are getting cancer at younger and younger ages.
 
Sinbad said:
You realise that the msa contribution is the same as what goes into the msa, doesn't cost you anything. And makes your years savings available up front should you need it...
Click to expand...

Not sure about other medical aids, but that is not true with Discovery. The amount in your MSA and the amount you pay to be in your MSA is not the same. They take about a minimum of R50 for themselves, never mentioning for what.
 
I know a single mother who just bought a R2.5 million house in a golf estate and a Merc and cancelled her medical aid so she could afford the repayments.

Madness.

That said, I have seen in laws and family going to state hospitals for major medical problems like heart attacks, serious infections and amputations and cancer. The state hospitals were decent. But they all died within weeks. The one family member who had 3 heart attacks in 15 years and two bypasses and an angio is still alive after attending private hospitals. It's anecdotal, yes, but the different in care is obvious. Some state hospitals can be good and there are good Dr's there, but their mission is to get you well enough to go home only as there are hundreds of people waiting for your bed.
 
JCM said:
Not sure about other medical aids, but that is not true with Discovery. The amount in your MSA and the amount you pay to be in your MSA is not the same. They take about a minimum of R50 for themselves, never mentioning for what.
Click to expand...

/calculates

MSA portion of my contributions:
R2192 pm

*12 = R26304

Annual MSA for your plan R 26,304.00

On discovery Classic Comp...


To add:
https://www.discovery.co.za/discove...th/benefit_information/contributions_2017.pdf

Classic Comprehensive ZERO MSA plan:

Member: 3 380 Adult dependant: 3 199

My contributions on a Classic Comp with MSA plan:
R3380 + R3198


So the money in my MSA is exactly the same as what it cost me to put in, and I get a R1 discount :p
 
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Sinbad said:
/calculates

MSA portion of my contributions:
R2192 pm

*12 = R26304

Annual MSA for your plan R 26,304.00

On discovery Classic Comp...


To add:
https://www.discovery.co.za/discove...th/benefit_information/contributions_2017.pdf

Classic Comprehensive ZERO MSA plan:

Member: 3 380 Adult dependant: 3 199

My contributions on a Classic Comp with MSA plan:
R3380 + R3198


So the money in my MSA is exactly the same as what it cost me to put in, and I get a R1 discount :p
Click to expand...


I actually went through a couple of them now, and it looks like it was just my previous plan, Classic Delta Saver that the calculations don't add up :| Thanks for clearing it up.

**Nevermind I need to go back to school :)
 
Last edited:
Do you guys perhaps know what interest rate you get with the MSA you don't use?
 
Regarding MSA, yes it's up front but a lot of items they do not pay in full, even off your MSA, plus they earn interest off your money if you don't use. Had issues this first month and seriously considering dropping MSA next year.

Also, quite often you can get cheaper rates if paying for out of hospital cash.
 
Kosmik said:
Regarding MSA, yes it's up front but a lot of items they do not pay in full, even off your MSA, plus they earn interest off your money if you don't use. Had issues this first month and seriously considering dropping MSA next year.

Also, quite often you can get cheaper rates if paying for out of hospital cash.
Click to expand...
I'm on a hospital plan with no savings. I just pay the very infrequent out of hospital stuff out of pocket. The MSA is just your money put into a place where it can only be used for medical expenses and if you don't use it the medical aid gets to pocket it. Madness.
 
I'm on coastal core with stratum as gap cover. just came out of hospital for an appendectamy and 2 nights stay. Insurance covered it all. Def worth it. You never know when you need it.
 
porchrat said:
I'm on a hospital plan with no savings. I just pay the very infrequent out of hospital stuff out of pocket. The MSA is just your money put into a place where it can only be used for medical expenses and if you don't use it the medical aid gets to pocket it. Madness.
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Rubbish.
If you don't use it, it's carried over to next year.
 
Hell yes! You absolutey DO NOT want to end up relying on the unprofessional, ineffective, callous, abusive public health system!
 
No it's not ... spending a fortune on medicinal aid... It's useless... you really could have gotten better returns by investing that money. Rather get a hospital plan
 
Johnsoej said:
No it's not ... spending a fortune on medicinal aid... It's useless... you really could have gotten better returns by investing that money. Rather get a hospital plan
Click to expand...

Depends on what you mean by hospital plan. When most people use the term, they are referring to the lowest level of medical aid cover.
 
paul5186 said:
I'm on coastal core with stratum as gap cover. just came out of hospital for an appendectamy and 2 nights stay. Insurance covered it all. Def worth it. You never know when you need it.
Click to expand...

I've had no joy with claiming from Stratum be very careful in dealing with them.
 
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