Chronic Illness Benefit for 2021

Discovery, really outdoing yourselves hey... So this is regarding chronic medication, more specifically Insulin for a Diabetic! Like all members our contributions are substantial towards Medical Aid each month, now, over and above to cover a co payment of R518 as of January 2021 if you want to continue taking your insulin that has been prescribed by your GP and been covered for all this time.

My wife got this today: "We want to be sure that our benefits are relevant and current, so these changes are a result of new medicine becoming available, prices of medicine changing and our ongoing efforts to reduce the price of medicine for our members"

"You further state that for Humulin n kwikpen 3ml - There may be a better priced alternative for this. Please ask your doctor about it"

If you say that there is an alternative, keeping in mind that a patient will be spared a co payment why have you not stated the alternative which in turn can be discussed with a GP? What happens if the patient cannot afford the additional co payment over and above the huge medical aid contributions each month, and this is the only medication that can be taken, does a patient just forget about it, let the situation become uncontrollable and just die? Or is the patients medication and health not something that Discovery cares about just as long as you get a medical aid contribution each month?

You cannot just say this to members and not propose alternatives, you have the formulary list, you know what a member will and will not have a co payments for, why not state this, why place members in a stressful position, you are meant to be making it easier to manage not almost impossible!!