Highest Option but not worth the cost
On Boncomprehensive, highest option, I hoped for the best. In the past when I reached the self-payment gap I did not submit invoices of payment for claims processed by a health provider.I phoned several times to enquire why I had not covered the self payment gap with unclear explanation given to me.I drove about 200km to the Musgrave walk-in cente for face to face engagement; I was told I had covered it. Back at home I was again told by the health providers I had to pay. I then phoned8 frustrated last week and the lady who helped me investigated my matter and gave feedback on the 'small print' that says I must submit a claim after paying. 1. Had the response been given the first time I asked I would have acted early. I now have to dig information, worse as my health does not allow that this year. 2. Having suffered on the highest paying option I asked the lady who served me at the walk-in centre to help me through lower options so I downgraded to a lower one with no self-payment. Unfortunately the choice of medical aids is limited at my workplace & I can't change to the second medical aid allowed. 3. As someone with a mental condition I feel discriminated against because my medical aid pays about R16000 p.a. for consultations and less than R50000 for hospitalisation. Some medical aids count consultations (e.g 15 consulations or so) and give 21 days hospitalisation, though not enough still if you live with a condition but it is still better than a specified amount. How does one survive with such a limited benefit when mental health practitioners charge between R900 and R2000 per consultation, not to mention a daily hospital fee. I wrote to medical aids council to complain about this discrimination to no avail. Mind you, one does not use some benefits some of which do not even apply to one e.g. maternity for my age. Why my medical aid opted for a particular amount and how it determines it, is yet to be clarified. When the amount is used up I have to see how I pay for mental health which is a chronic for me 4. This one size-fits-all medical aids benefits are worrying; why can't the benefits be tailor-made? Why is mental health under-coveres by medical aids when research says depression is one of the main ****ers nowadays?

I started sending statements with proof of payment on 7 December, but I still paid for health service providers I used today.