So you have decided to join a medical aid and it is time to shop around for quotes. Fortunately getting medical aid quotes has never been easier. In the electronic age it is simply a matter of a few clicks and you can have scores of quotes for medical aids at your disposal. Or simply fill out an online form and have brokers calling and emailing you with the best products in the market. However, there are several points that you should be aware of if you want an accurate medical aid quote and a true idea of how cover will affect your budget.

Is your employer contributing?

Should you be fortunate enough to have access to a company medical aid, you should take it. Not only will your employer cover part of your monthly premiums but it may be the only way to access the employer’s subsidy. Many restricted schemes as part of a company medical aid offer benefits that other medical aids do not. Take CAMAF (Chartered Accountants Medical Aid Fund) for example, a medical aid opened to those working for accounting firms. It provides cover for fertility treatments at a time when no other medical aid does so. Even with quotes for the best plans, you may still not enjoy these levels of benefits. Sometimes your employer may allow you to join an open medical aid but restrict you to which schemes you can join if you want access the company subsidy.

Full disclosure at the outset

When looking around for medical aid quotes, be honest about your age and pre-existing conditions. Age can affect how much you will pay monthly for your cover. There is a late joiner penalty applicable if you join a medical aid after 35 years. Pre-existing conditions will not affect your medical aid quote but it will affect your cover in the first 12 months. All pre-existing conditions, whether a disease or pregnancy, is not covered as part of a 12 month waiting period.

After 1 year these exclusions fall away and your condition is then covered by the medical aid. Do not try to lie about your pre-existing conditions. Full disclosure is necessary or you are committing fraud. Even though a pre-existing condition does not affect your quote, it does mean that you will need to pay cash for your medical bills for the excluded condition for the first 12 months. This means that you are paying your medical aid contributions plus cash for your healthcare needs which can affect your budget.

Medical aid broker for the best quotes

You can visit the websites of the medical aid you prefer and take a look at their rates for different plans. You can even submit an online request for them to call you back and discuss prices and benefits. But a medical aid broker is often the better way to go. Why? Simply because brokers will present you with comparative quotes from many medical aids. Not just a single scheme with its different plans. When you contact a specific medical aid they will only provide you with quotes of their scheme’s plans. They will not quote you for membership of another medical aid. Ultimately all open medical aids in South Africa offer you the same benefits for about the same price but a medical aid broker can guide you accordingly by looking at both your budget and healthcare needs and presenting you with the best quotes.