NO MATERNITY BENEFITS PAID FOR SERVICES BEFORE REGISTRATION

I have a complaint on the process for maternity benefits introduced by Discovery this year. I am sure that it won’t be the last compliant of this sort that Discovery sees. I am halfway through my pregnancy and went for my 20-week scan on 09/01/2018, hoping to claim this against the new maternity benefits which kicked in this year. I called Discovery on 22 January to find out about the claims procedure, and was advised that I would first have to register for the maternity programme on their website/app and then submit my claim. I registered on that day, submitted the claim informing them that I had registered, and a few days later the claim was paid out of my savings account, rather than maternity benefits. On enquiry I was informed that because the scan was on 09 January, and I only registered for the benefit on 22 January, the claim will not be covered by benefits. The registration process involves completing a few personal details and clicking a register button. This apparently determines whether you are paid out of benefits, it does not seem to matter that you are a Discovery member paying your contributions each month. I was very excited about the new benefits but now it’s just left me frustrated with Discovery and how these schemes are set up so that you end up paying out of your own pocket, and Discovery doesn’t have to bear the cost. I expect they will hear from many more frustrated pregnant members during the course of the year. Many members will not be aware of the fact that registration is required before any maternity services are provided, I don't think this is being made clear enough in the information provided.