Understanding Combined Health Cover for South Africans

Many South Africans are searching for health plans that deliver both day-to-day medical benefits and protection from high in-hospital costs. A combined plan makes this possible, covering routine healthcare expenses-such as general practitioner visits and basic dentistry-while ensuring you are safeguarded against the financial impact of hospital admissions or emergency treatment. Affinity Health offers this blended approach across several plan options to families, individuals, retirees, and young professionals.

How does combined cover work?

Combined plans knit together the core features of day-to-day health insurance and hospital cover in one package. Typical inclusions are:

• GP consultations as part of your annual visit allowance
• Out-of-hospital medication for minor illnesses
• Basic dental and optometry services
• Routine pathology and radiology (such as blood tests or X-rays)
• Hospital admission for accidents, illnesses and surgical procedures
• Access to a wide private provider network, including telephonic healthcare consultations

Monthly premiums are structured to be cost-effective. For example, Affinity Health’s standard combined plan starts at R1,968 for an adult (age 18-54), while junior and senior combined plans are tailored to respective age groups. Children under 18 are eligible for specialist junior combined cover-detailed on the Junior Cover page.

Major components of a combined plan

Benefits for your lifestyle

• Families can manage child GP visits and school health checks, plus be protected against larger health emergencies.
• Young adults benefit from budget-friendliness and broad private network access.
• Retirees enjoy predictable medical costs with in-hospital safety nets for unforeseen events.

Explore all the available combined plan options for your life stage by visiting the Combined Plan page.

Selecting the Right Combined Plan for Your Needs

With several combined plan groups to choose from-Affinity Junior, Affinity Senior, Standard Range, and Innovator-matching the cover to your age, budget, and requirements is straightforward. Here are steps to help you decide:

1. Assess your family structure: Are you covering children, adults, or retirees?
2. Estimate your annual routine healthcare usage: Count expected GP, dental, and optometry visits.
3. Factor in risk for hospital admission: Consider past medical history and likelihood of emergencies requiring hospital stay.
4. Compare monthly premiums: View the latest rates for each group on the pricing page.

Practical features for South African members

• Members can make use of a wide network of private healthcare providers. Easily find participating GPs and practices using the provider locator tool.
• Hospital benefits make planned and emergency admissions simpler and more affordable. Locate a hospital provider for your planned procedures or care needs.
• Convenient telephonic and virtual consultations help address concerns promptly from anywhere in South Africa.

Benefit amounts and structure

Combined plans integrate annual benefit caps for day-to-day items. Hospital benefits are offered as annual limits, with policy specifics detailed in plan documents. The combination gives peace of mind-routine healthcare needs and high-impact, unpredictable events are both covered under one policy.

Summary: Is a combined plan right for you?

Combined cover offers cost control, comprehensive access, and support for both everyday wellness needs and emergency health situations. It’s suited to families wanting security for their children, young professionals seeking budget-friendly protection, and retirees requiring predictable out-of-pocket costs. To learn more about these options and find the ideal fit, visit the Affinity Health homepage.

Sources

• Affinity Health - Current Premium Rates
• Affinity Health - Combined Plan Overview
• Affinity Health - Junior Health Options
• South African Annual Health Statistics Report
• Statistics South Africa - Health Publications