As it stands, medical aid is one of the most costly monthly expenses in South Africa.

Couple that with those complex rules, exclusions and co-payments once you want to cash in, and it lands the worst overall score in the South African Consumer Satisfaction Index (SAcsi).

The survey, run by research firm Consulta and its CEO and founder Professor Adré Schreuder, went to far as to call medical aid a “grudge purchase,” reports Business Tech.

Schreuder continued:

“Industry premiums increased by around 8 to 10%, which is well above inflation. Expectations around value for money will come under even more pressure when consumers are expected to contribute to the Government’s proposed National Health Insurance (NHI) if it is launched as expected in the coming years,” he said.

So, which South African medical aid companies should be named and shamed?

The SAcsi Benchmark for Medical Schemes “offers impartial insights into the South African medical schemes industry by blending a Customer Expectations Index, Perceived Quality Index and a Perceived Value Index to achieve an overall result out of 100”.

The country’s top five medical schemes were polled – Discovery, Bonitas, Medihelp, Momentum and GEMS:

With a SAcsi score of 74.8, Discovery is well in line with the industry average of 74.2 and has improved its score marginally from 74.1 in both 2014 and 2015. Discovery overtook Liberty Health, which had merged with Bonitas during 2016. Medihelp achieved a SAcsi score of 72.6, significantly up from its score of 70.7 in 2015.

In case you’re wondering why there’s no mention of 2016, the survey was not conducted last year.

Here’s a simple comparison:

How’s your medical aid treating you? Any hiccups lately?

[source:businesstech]