MEDICAL AID FOR BEGINNERS

Normally, medical aid claims peak around May, June and July due to increased winter ailments.
In the first half of the year, claims are usually relatively low, but this year has seen an increase that is much higher than usual.

Pro Sano Medical Scheme said that a large increase in claims for stress-related illnesses is being seen across the board in people of all ages and income groups.
"Quite simply, it seems as though money worries and job insecurity are making people sicker and leading to increased hospitalization and medical treatment’ said Dr James Arens, clinical operations executive of Pro Sano Medical Scheme.

He said the medical scheme had noted a significant increase in serious ailments requiring hospitalization, such as cardiovascular illness — hypertension, strokes and heart attacks — as well as psychiatric conditions such as depression and other mental disorders.

Arens said schemes had also noticed an increase in the number of people joining the scheme, undergoing expensive hospital procedures and then canceling their medical scheme membership soon afterwards.

But patients are not the only ones suffering.
It seems that even doctors and hospitals are turning to medical aid schemes to ease their financial worries.

There has been a marked increase in fraudulent claims.

"In these cases, what often happens is that a practitioner loads their bill, so that a legitimate procedure is padded with all sorts of additional codes, which patients often do not understand or think to question... we see this happening all the time."

Arens said hospitals run as businesses were also feeling increased pressure to show profits and keep their shareholders happy.
"There are many cases where the length of a hospital stay has increased by one or two days — for no apparent reason, adding thousands of rands to patient and medical scheme bills," he said.

Word up Dr John.
Loembek claims he knows of a place where you can draw cash with your medical aid card.

Kader Khan
Editor
info@yummie.co.za