Medical gap cover is important for everyone who belongs to a registered medical scheme, more so as medical aids are limiting their level of cover. The importance cannot be over-emphasised.
Gap cover certainly isn’t a luxury – it has become of vital importance – and yet a cost-effective way to provide medical insurance for the many times your medical aid doesn’t pay your bills in full.
This medical gap cover can only be taken out by existing members of medical aids and where there is a shortfall in the medical aid’s level of cover.
Gap cover isn’t medical aid – it is an insurance product of which South Africa has a number of providers. Between these providers you get different plans and products. Level of cover can be anything from 200 – 700%.
Gap Cover Importance – So Much Cover for a Small Monthly Premium
You want to be sure you invest in medical gap cover from a reliable source. Total Risk Administrators or TRA are a reputable and authorised financial services provider, operating since 1999.
They offer a range of products and they offer clear and detailed information about them. One of their products is gap cover of which they offer 4 plans –
- Basic Cover 200
- Vital Cover Plus
- Super Cover Plus
- Absolute Cover Plus
Their Basic Cover is 200% while the other 3 plans provide 700% cover above the medical aid scheme tariff. This essentially means that if your doctor charges more than 7x what your medical aid will cover, TRA will pay for the shortfall.
The more costly plans offer an Oncology Extender Benefit, Accidental Death Benefit, Policy Extender as well as TRA Assist which offers complimentary benefits to all policyholders, irrespective of option choice. In fact, their Absolute Cover Plus which offers all this is their flagship product.
Gap Cover Importance – A Vital Add-On to Medical Aid
The truth is, because medical gap cover is an enhancement to medical aid and not medical aid as such, many South Africans aren’t clued up on it and actually end up not making use of its benefits.
Possibly the most sought after gap cover is where you get in-hospital gap cover, oncology cover, cover for co-payments and sub-limits.
Gap Cover Importance – Better Cover with Network Doctors
Medical aids also limit their expenditure by encouraging their members to use their network doctors and hospitals. They then provide cover at the full medical scheme rate.
If however, members want to use their own medical practitioners outside the network, they can. There will be a shortfall though as these medical specialists often charge way beyond the medical scheme rates, but the shortfall amount is paid by gap cover.
The financial services environment is by no means uncomplicated, but TRA has at least tried to provide simple, yet comprehensive information on their gap cover which can help you pay for those medical bills your medical aid takes no responsibility for.
Why not make use of their easy-to-fill-in online application form for medical gap cover? At least you can know with certainty that their gap cover will protect you from those unbudgeted-for healthcare costs.
Please complete and submit the form on this page so we can get a gap cover quote to you fast!
NB: for members of South African medical schemes only
