Countries like South Africa offer a National Health Service for every citizen, meaning they are provided with health insurance covered by Social Security and National Insurance funds.
Well, no, not exactly. The coverage many citizens receive is bare minimum, unable to keep up with the fast pace and always changing medical field. The coverage does not do justice for the high costs.
Employers have done their best to help support their employees, as some public and private sectors offer health insurance benefits to their employees. It’s a nice feature but once again sometimes the coverage lacks or isn’t offered at all.
Employees who not receive coverage from their employee are forced to seek health insurance privately. Employees either take their chances with state provided health insurance or contact private health insurance agencies and discus their options with a broker.
The most important stage when searching and finding the appropriate private insurance company is the process of running the client through a medical physical. Medical physicals are a way for the insurance agency to analyze your current and past health. At the physical, the doctor will examine your heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, as well as other important vital organs.
You might even confuse the doctor or medial examiner for an investigator. The reason they ask so many questions is a process for them to gain a better understanding of your current health. Questions that will arise will include statements about your physical fitness, diet, smoking, drinking, or drug habits. The doctor will also take your body weight and comment about whether you are overweight or not.
Along with the weight, the doctor will gage the possibility of future diseases based on past family diseases and disorders. In medicine, doctors have found a common link between current diseases in patients and the same disease found in older family members. So family hereditary diseases are studied and scrutinized.
The culmination of the physical will result in the doctor sending off the final medical report to the insurance company. Experts on the staff will discuss and review your medical information, including the state of your organs, your personal information, and family history. All these factors are weighed into your quote.
In conclusion, if you are a healthy and active individual, you are almost guaranteed to qualify for health insurance. However, individuals that are overweight or smoke are causes for concern and health hazards.
Take care of your body, eat properly, and exercise. These three simple steps will leading to a more satisfied and happy you, and will also greatly reduce the odds of an insurance agency accepting you into their family.
Graham McKenzie is the content Syndication Manager at insurance123.co.zaSouth Africa’s leading Health Insurance information portal.
Tags: doctors, GP, health, health insurance, Insurance, medical, Medical Aid, medical insurance