Pharmacy retailer Dis-Chem has launched a second medical insurance offering – Dis-Chem Health Gap Cover – which provides for the payment of any shortfalls incurred during medical treatments and procedures.
In March, the group launched Dis-Chem Health, a medical insurance offering with premiums starting at R431 per 30 days for the Core plan and increasing to R591 per 30 days for the Plus plan with additional cover options available for accident and medical emergency illness cover.
Child dependents start at R302 per 30 days per child, while accident cover starts at R185 per 30 days for adults and R100 per 30 days for kids.
The group said in a press release on Wednesday (11 May) that limits inside the healthcare sector mean that the gap between what is roofed through medical aid membership and what’s for a member’s own pocket is widening.
This ends in a better rand value and frequency of medical aid shortfalls, which are sometimes unexpected, and which occur retrospectively.
“Traction has been strong within the two months since we launched medical insurance, and the uptake has exceeded our expectations. The success rate thus far supports our view of the market and the necessary role that Dis-Chem plays in promoting much wider access to inexpensive and quality healthcare,” said Rui Morais, chief financial officer at Dis-Chem.
“Gap Cover is accessible to existing members of any medical aid and provides peace of mind by cushioning them against unexpected medical treatment payment shortfalls. We’re very mindful of the increased cost of living and growing financial pressures on consumers.
“A key differentiator of the Dis-Chem Health Gap Cover is that premiums are priced based on age, and on a per-person basis, reasonably than on a set cost per family unit. This pricing structure makes premiums cheaper, more widely accessible, easy to grasp and transparent,” Morais said.
Two options can be found:
- Base: priced from R190 per 30 days for the principal policyholder, R65 for adult dependants and R18 for child dependants under 18 years old. That is the usual Gap Cover plan that covers tariff shortfalls as much as an extra 500%, sub-limits, dental reconstruction in addition to Family Protector and Hospital booster advantages.
- Summit: priced from R235 per 30 days for the principal policyholder, R95 for adult dependants and R25 for child dependents under 18 years old. That is the excellent Gap Cover plan, offering additional advantages, including cover for oncology.
“Our healthcare focus has evolved from in-store clinics to a far broader offering including telemedicine, medical insurance and now gap cover. Dis-Chem is well-placed to play a number one role in extending access to primary healthcare to a much wider and under-served segment of the population,” Morais said
As with the initial medical insurance launch, the gap cover offering shall be administered by Kaelo Risk and shall be underwritten by Centriq Insurance Company Limited.
Medical insurance offers members protection against the unexpected costs of day-to-day healthcare needs and certain accident and medical emergency illness events.
While not a medical scheme, it doesn’t offer the identical advantages as a medical scheme and will not be an alternative choice to a medical scheme, medical insurance is a superb option for many who cannot afford medical aid membership, Dis-Chem identified.
Read: Dis-Chem has launched medical insurance – here’s how much it costs
