Avoid Medshield

Please think very carefully before changing to this medical aid. On their website, it states:

Consequently, anyone who joins a scheme will not be entitled to make any claims for the first three months, unless they can prove they had been receiving cover form one of the other medical aid schemes in South Africa within the three-month period immediately prior to their application.

This is an absolute lie. The only cover you will get is for a prescribed minimum benefit, which is the bare minimum as it's required by law.

My father unfortunately had a stroke during this 3 month waiting period. He was a member of Momentum medical aid for 13 years directly prior to joining. He had no pre-existing conditions, was a healthy weight and active person (running, hiking, cycling every week). Does Medshield care? No.

If you do join, know your rights. They won't tell you they should be covering prescribed minimum benefits during that time. Also, be prepared to spend vast amounts of airtime arguing with call center operators, sending endless documents, getting authorization for each request. A lot of extra stress during a very stressful time.

Also make sure that they've bothered to load you into the system during the 3 month waiting period. The paramedics (called from the Medshield medical aid card) didn't even have him loaded into the system so they wouldn't take him to a private hospital.

Don't bother sending complaints, they don't bother responding.

It's very sad that my dad has fallen into this edge case as he has had medical aid his whole life. Shame on you Medshield, absolute disgrace.