Simplicity and trust: Key values of a reimagined medical aid

A medical aid built on simplicity and trust is underway.

Let’s be honest – when you signed up for your current medical aid, how well did you really understand the fine print and limitations?

Most of us don’t really know what we’re covered for, or more importantly, what we’re NOT covered for until it’s too late. You think you’re sorted… until you’re not.

That’s the problem with complicated medical aid. The jargon. The fine print. The exclusions and co-payments. It doesn’t exactly inspire trust.

Following the announcement of a partnership between Fedhealth and Sanlam earlier this year, with Sanlam endorsing Fedhealth as its open medical scheme of choice, these two respected players in healthcare and financial services set about designing a reimagined medical scheme. But, they took a different route.

Simpler really is better

Fedhealth and Sanlam wanted to create a medical aid scheme where what you see is what you get. Your benefits are clear. Your costs are upfront. No hidden catches. No surprises when you claim. The reinvented scheme will take a fresh approach – by ensuring members have a clear understanding of their cover from the get-go and more of a say in how their cover is structured, so that it's more transparent, more personal and more reliable.

Simpler… on purpose. No more second-guessing. Just medical aid that makes sense, with SIMPLICITY and TRUST as two of the core values.

Instead of adding more features, the rebooted scheme will aim to use easy to understand language, and avoid irrelevant extras. It will offer different type of options, so members can choose a plan structure that works for them. It will also be easier to join and make a claim, and faster access to help when things go wrong. Most people want a seamless experience when joining a medical scheme, and once they've joined, they want to navigate their chosen plan and its benefits with ease. The reimagined scheme will work hard to make this a reality.

Trust and simplicity go hand in hand

Trust goes hand in hand with simplicity. When you understand something, it’s easier to believe in it. And when you know you’re covered, you can just… breathe.

With simplicity as the core priority, medical aid members of the scheme will feel more confident in what they're covered for. The natural result is trust – another core principle the proposed scheme aims to embody. To Fedhealth and Sanlam, trust means a commitment to being upfront, transparent and dependable, with no grey areas, so no disappearing benefits and no vague exclusions. Just real, understandable cover that you can count on when you need it most.

No decoding necessary

By choosing to prioritise simplicity and trust, the scheme by Fedhealth and Sanlam will aim to lessen anxiety and make members’ lives easier.

This is what medical aid should feel like. Not confusing. Not stressful. Just clear, honest, and reliable. Built on these, and three other core values, this scheme will launch in October. It’s time for medical aid you don’t have to decode!

Follow the journey at medicalaidreboot.co.za