Disgusting how you treat your members!!!!

To the Board of Directors,

No one responded to my email so you leave me no choice but to make this public. If I still don't get a response I will put this on all social media platforms.

Please explain this to me:

My mom fell and broke her hip and was admitted to Life Hospital Fourways which is contracted to Discovery. I called your call center to ensure we have a pre-authorization number and wont have any issues.

Why are we now sitting with a bill of over R20 000 and counting??????? I queried this with your call center and was told the orthopedic surgeon Dr Bhaga does not charge medical aid rates. This really ****ed me off. Why is this our problem? It should be your responsibility to ask if the doctor charges medical aid rates ? I have called Dr Bhaga and he is contracted in with Discovery. Why am I being told it's my job to do this ?!? The hospital calls anyway to get the pre authorization no why can't they ask are you charging our patients medical aid rates?. We did not sign any document that said we agree that this doctor operate om my mom. This is ********* on so many levels. What patient in their right mind is going to say yes please I would love a doctor that charges 20k more than what medical aid charges!!!! You should only allow doctors that charges medical aid rates to operate on your clients!

What p'd me off even more is that I was told that the authorisation codes/numbers was loaded incorrectly and is now being 'rectified'. Seriously get your staff to get their act together - how do we know which codes needs to be loaded - which is wrong and which is right. And only to find this out when i call. I'm so tired of fighting with Discovery every time. We PAY you to provide a service not to rip people off any chance you get. How can you do this to people (especially the elderly) when they are in desperate need of medical care.

I'm fighting this on my parents behalf - I'm not just going to leave this and let you get away with it.

I want the consent form that was signed and where it clearly states that we give the EXPENSIVE surgeon permission to operate on my mom. I want the consent form/recording where it clearly states that the doctor does not charge medical aid rates and Discovery will only pay a portion of the bill. I also want the recording where the consultant explained in detail to my parents what their plan covers and what it doesn't when they took out the medical aid.

I think its and absolute DISGRACE the way you treat people and that I even have to type up this email.

Yours in TOTAL DISGUST

Samantha Okell on behalf of Lionel Davis