Enhancement of offerings spurs growth
Bestmed ranks consistently high for its quality and service in industry indices
While a number of medical schemes have suffered the loss of principal members in the past year, one of the few to grow this number was Bestmed Medical Scheme, which recently celebrated its 100,000th principal member registration. Including dependants, the scheme now provides health care cover for more than 209,000 lives.
Bestmed CEO and principal officer Leo Dlamini ascribes this growth to the continuous enhancement of its product offering, its focus on member experience, leveraging its sales channels and a relentless focus on retention.
“We aim to manage as best as we can the long-term affordability of contributions so members can continue to access private health care of the highest standard,” he says.
Bestmed is the largest selfadministered scheme in SA, offering 13 plans, each designed to suit the needs of members at
different phases of their life.
The scheme has made a strategic decision to use some of its reserves to ensure all members receive a below CPI contribution increase of 3.9% for 2022 without any benefit reductions for existing members and a general 4.2% increase in their benefit limits.
Bestmed ranks consistently high in industry indices. It was the highest rated medical scheme in the South African Customer Satisfaction Index (SA-csi) in both 2020 and 2021. In 2021 it was the highest rated regarding perceived quality, value, overall customer service and customer loyalty. “It’s also significant that our beneficiary complaints are the lowest in the industry,” says Dlamini.
The 2020 Ask Afrika Orange Index which tracks and benchmarks customer experience rated Bestmed first in the medical aid category.
Its benefit enhancements for 2022 include that members only pay for contributions for up to three children while any additional children are covered at no additional charge. Child dependants are now classified as such until the age of 24 years
up from 21 and registered students up to 26 years.
In addition the scheme has introduced enhanced wellness, preventative care and optometry benefits, and increased its over-the-counter medicine benefit. It has also removed some co-payments and reduced others.
An additional maternity benefit is a lactation consultation with a registered nurse or lactation specialist across all plan options.
The scheme has also enhanced its day-to-day benefits for consultations, chronic medicine and dental.
“We’re committed to ensuring we are large enough to create value for our members, personal enough to provide care for each of them, and attentive enough to listen and respond with agility to realign our service offering to help our members when they need it,” says Dlamini.
“Members can rest assured their funds and the scheme are secure and sustainable.”