Medical aids advised on efficient coverage

Medical scheme members often bemoan the fact that many options either do not pay for their day-to-day health-care needs, or that these costs are only covered from savings accounts, which are soon depleted.

At its recent medical scheme conference, the Board of Healthcare Funders' (BHF) head of benefits and risk, Rajesh Patel, suggested that schemes should phase out hospital plans that provide minimal day-to-day cover, and diminish the role of savings accounts in funding visits to a general practitioner and prescribed medicines.