Affinity Health_COVID and consultation refund

My wife recently went for a COVID screening and test at one of the health service providers that are part of Affinity's network. We were forced to pay cash for the consulting (even though provider is in the network) as the provider claimed that they often struggle to recover consultation fees from Affinity.

Secondly we had to pay cash for the COVID test. We called Affinity to confirm if this is true - the consultant on the phone said we will receive a refund if the test comes back positive. Long story short, the test came back positive for COVID and we submitted a claim. The claim was rejected, leaving us out of pocket for R1500 (test) and R400 (consultation fee - since provider has had issues claiming from Affinity). To date, I have not received any official communication from Affinity or Lauren Slater.

In times like these, one would have thought that the monthly premiums of around R2500 would offer some form of cover when in need of medical assistance. To have a valid doctor consultation and COVID claim rejected has resulted in a loss of confidence in Affinity Health's ability to be there for me and my wife in a time of need.

I am currently looking at alternative service providers. I am willing to pay more to know that I do not have to keep additional funds to cater for medical expenses.