When it comes to choosing a medical aid, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. The best medical aid scheme – and medical aid plan – for you depends on your specific circumstances, such as your health, budget, age and family situation.

When choosing a medical aid, start by asking yourself a few key questions:

1. What is your budget? A good rule of thumb is to budget for spending around 10% of your monthly household income on medical aid. Any more than that, and your monthly medical aid bill could become unaffordable.
2. How healthy are you? If you have a chronic illness like diabetes or asthma, you may have higher monthly medical expenses (for things like medication and doctor consultations) than someone who doesn’t suffer from a chronic condition. If you do have a chronic illness, consider an option that gives you comprehensive cover to meet your specific medical needs. If you’re a healthy individual, don’t select a medical aid plan that covers conditions or treatments you don’t need.
3. Do you have a pre-existing condition? Many medical aids will impose a waiting period if you join with a pre-existing condition. This means that for a certain period after joining the medical aid, you won’t be covered for medical expenses relating to that condition.
4. How old are you? The reality is that the older you get, the more likely you are to develop an illness and the longer you’ll take to recover from it. At the same time, above a certain age you’re likely to stop earning as much income as you did when you were young – and so you’d need more financial help with covering medical expenses.
5. What is your family situation? Whether you’re young and single, are planning to start a family, have small children, or support elderly parents, all of these factors mean you’ll have different monthly medical needs.

Most medical schemes offer a variety of plans to suit different individuals: hospital plans, for example, are the cheapest plans available because they only cover you for procedures performed if you’re admitted to hospital. Because of this, hospital plans are suited to healthy individuals with no existing health problems and those who don’t have families or dependants. On the other hand, comprehensive medical aid plans are more expensive, but they will cover you for many more health expenses such as doctor visits, screenings, medication and outpatient procedures. These are best for people with small children, who are older, or who have medical conditions.