LETTER: Medical aid’s extra costs and hurdles
My own experience of the self-payment gap and the co-payment is that they are used as mechanisms to reduce medical aid cover, to the detriment of members
I totally agree with Andrew McGregor’s contention in "Tell It As It Is, Medical Aid Schemes" (Letters, March 7-13) that the self-payment gap is an additional cost of cover and co-payment is an excess. My own experience of these two concepts is that they are used as mechanisms to reduce medical aid cover, to the detriment of members. My self-payment gap is climbing rapidly, due to all sorts of "cover exemptions", many for medication prescribed by my doctors, as well as vaccinations that the medical aid had advised it would cover. I had two theatre procedures performed one month apart in the same theatre of the same hospital. One attracted a co-payment, while the other did not. The medical aid’s explanation for this was pure gibberish. Members are "forced" to take out gap cover, which increases costs. My experience of this product is of regular obstacles to reimbursement. D WolpertRivonia The FM welcomes concise letters from readers. They can be sent to fmmail@fm.co.za
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