Discovery medical aid - not keeping to their own word.

During my pregnancy, I developed a life threatening condition to myself and my baby. I needed to have weekly blood tests done for bile acid levels. Cholestatis of pregnancy. This became a chronic condition. I enquired with discovery if they would cover this weekly blood test for the remainder of my pregnancy. They sent me an email with the ICD codes saying that they will, in fact cover it. This was last year October sometime. My broker has been very helpful in trying to assist me. Discovery on the other hand, now changed their chune, MONTHS later, saying that they will not cover it since Ampath used the incorrect codes.

I feel as a patient, this should be a battle between Ampath and discovery. Now I have to pay the remainder of cost out of pocket, after being assured that I would be covered.

Obviously, this upsets me greatly as I am 6 months postpartum and not currently working.

Not to mention how unfriendly Ampath treated the manner. Receiving many, many calls talking to me as if I was a ***** and that I did not grasp what they had to say, demanding immediate payment. I even got threatened with lawyers. My medical aid said they were looking in to it to resolve the matter. Long story short, I was told that discovery will now not cover it.

In the end of the day, where I was told I am covered... it seems I was not! Now this makes me furious. How can you trust you medical aid now if you cant take their word for it?

I was also told I could claim a breastpump back because I needed one in hospital for my baby being hospitalized in the NICU. Then only to be phoned back and to be told, no sorry you cannot. Even if you google cover on a breastpump they claim that you can claim for it.

Im unhappy... I think others should watch out for these false promises, too.