Medical aid is a luxury. Sadly, not everyone can afford it. If you’re not in the financial position to have medical aid, you should at least look at some other options – such as setting up an emergency savings account, or considering healthcare options for seniors. Visit HelpAdvisor.com for more information on this. However, if you can afford medical aid, it’s something you should seriously consider. Many people think they don’t require medical aid, especially if they live somewhere with free healthcare and a good public healthcare system. But the truth is that everyone can benefit from having medical aid. It offers so much more than meets the eye, and you’ll likely end up saving money in the long haul because of it.
Doctor’s visits
Let’s start with the obvious: most medical aids will cover your doctor’s visits. And most people need to go to the doctor at some point in their life. Medical aid is a great way to ensure that you can afford private healthcare if it’s too expensive otherwise. Depending on your medical aid, you may also be able to add your dependents to it at a reduced rate. This means that your spouse and children may also be covered by your medical aid.
Hospital visits
For many people, public healthcare is not the ideal solution, especially if it’s badly run. However, private healthcare often isn’t an option – even less so when it comes to bigger expenses, such as hospital visits. Nearly anything that takes place in a hospital is going to cost a fair bit of money, even if it’s just an x-ray or an overnight stay. That being said, having medical aid certainly comes in handy with very big expenses, like surgeries. Still not convinced? Have a look at the average cost for surgeries in different countries. Most people can’t afford it, and definitely not if they don’t have enough time to save up.
Medication
Medication is incredibly expensive. So expensive, in fact, that many people don’t always get the medication they need, simply because they do not have the finances. Most medical aids cover at least some of your prescriptions. This is especially helpful if you have medication that you take chronically, such as birth control. Medication costs add up over time, and if you fall ill and need urgent medication, you may not always have funds available to use for it. Be sure to check with your medical aid provider to see which medications they cover and whether there is a monthly or yearly limit to how much of your medication they will pay.
Extras
Doctor’s visits, hospital visits, and medication are the main things we think about when it comes to our medical wellbeing. But the truth is that there’s so much more than that. And, depending on your medical aid, you may be covered for these things by your medical aid provider. Things such as physiotherapy, or dermatology may be included in your coverage. Some medical aids will also cover hearing tests, as well as eye tests – this could be beneficial to those who have been wearing the wrong prescription glasses due to not being able to afford new ones.