It's 2020 and my medical aid disregards my mental health.

I submitted a Request for Additional Cover for Prescribed Minimum Benefit ("PMB Request") together with a motivation letter from my psychiatrist who confirmed that I required additional cover in order to be treated as an inpatient.

I subsequently received a letter informing me that the PMB Request had been denied. Further to this, the reasoning provided for denying my request was "you have exceeded cover from the Prescribed Minimum Benefit", I am quite aware of that fact hence the request for additional cover. To say that the reasoning for denying my request is unsatisfactory would be an understatement.

I further submitted an appeal to their decision and attached the motivation from my psychiatrist as well as a further motivation from my clinical psychologist. The reasoning provided was "based on your test results, the treatment that was requested did not meet the clinical entry criteria". There are no physical tests which exist for severe depression and extreme anxiety. In fact, the closest thing to a test would be an assessment and motivation from a psychiatrist which I attached. Again Discovery Health refused to give substantiated reasoning for their denial of my request.

I am currently on the Classic Priority plan. The brochure advertising such plan says that unlimited hospital cover is part of the package, but nowhere in the brochure does it differentiate between psychiatric hospitals and hospitals in which physical illness is treated. Discovery Health's brochure is misleading and further indicative of their poor and unhelpful attitude towards mental health.

The brochure elaborates that either 21 days in hospital or 15 days out of hospital are afforded. Again, Discovery Health clearly does not take mental health seriously as doctors visits AND hospital visits in respect of physical illnesses are covered by Discovery Health but people suffering with mental health problems have to choose.

Discovery Health has mishandled my application and my appeal and have further disregarded my mental health, putting me in direct danger, despite the professional opinion of a licensed psychiatrist informing them of the necessity of my request. Further to this Discovery Health has provided inadequate and unsubstantiated reasoning for their denial of my request.

This is extremely disappointing behaviour from a company which claims to owe its success to its "ability to offer a fully integrated, value-driven healthcare operating system to our clients, centred on meeting the full spectrum of healthcare needs of client medical schemes". That has clearly not been the attitude with which my application and appeal have been approached.

Further to the above, and though it may be small, I note that on Discovery Health's website all of their testimonials in respect of how successful and helpful their medical aid is, is in relation to physical illnesses. That speaks volumes as to how mental illness is viewed and handled at Discovery Health.

My experience thus far has been exceptionally negative and disappointing. As a long standing client of Discovery Health, and as a human being battling mental illness, the manner in which this has been dealt with is appalling and unacceptable.