How to Change Medical Schemes in 10 Easy Steps.

Sometimes all of us need some help, in this article it is the how to change medical schemes help.

There may be a wide range of reasons for you to change medical schemes; changing employment, finding more affordable medical aid, unhappy with your current medical aid scheme, looking at different medical aid options with better benefits, a sudden change in your life like a new baby or getting married.

There are 10 steps to follow when you want to change schemes.

1. Study the rules of the current scheme you belong to, pertaining to notice periods.

2. Inform the scheme in writing that you are cancelling your membership. This should be done within the notice period and have to include the end dates.

3. Be sure you comply with the notice period otherwise you might be liable to pay a fine.

4. Do your homework, when looking for a new medical aid. Look at benefits, scheme rates, premiums, and the rules of all the schemes you evaluate.

5. Choose the new scheme you want to join.

6. Fill in and submit an application for the new scheme.

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7. Be sure not to lie about your current health status. The new scheme might require some tests or a medical evaluation done to ascertain if there will be any exclusions.

8. Your current medical scheme will provide you with a membership certificate stating the date your membership expires. This need to accompany your application, along with your FICA documents which are; a copy of your ID document and proof of your resident address.

9. The new scheme will then send you the necessary documents to sign and resubmit. Make sure you have read it and that you understand the terms and conditions.

10. At midnight on the date of expiry your schemes will automatically change over. This means you will not go a single minute without medical cover.

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There are some important factors not to overlook when you do change between schemes:

• Waiting periods: Waiting periods are normally enforced when you change between schemes. These periods are allowed by the medical schemes act. The time of a waiting period is usually 3 months however prescribed minimum benefits are not included in the waiting period.

• Exclusions: Some of your current medical conditions might be excluded from cover for up to a year, again these exclusions are not allowed for prescribed minimum benefits.

What are prescribed minimum benefits?

• Prescribed minimum benefits (PMB) are a list of 260 medical conditions that medical aid schemes in South Africa have to cover and pay for by law. This list includes 26 chronic conditions. For PMB the scheme has to provide medical care at a level the same or above the care given in the public healthcare system.

These 10 ten steps on how to change medical schemes will help you to accomplish the change easily and hassle free. © Medical Aid Plan.

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