Understand from the outset that there's a wise order of priorities in family-planning.Don't find yourselves weeks out from the birth of your first child before you pause to consider the issue of pregnancy insurance.Not that it's necessarily too late; you might be one of the lucky couples - an uneventful pregnancy, trouble-free birth, normal child with its full quota of fingers and toes and, for you and your wife, never any financial worries along the way.It means that you gambled and won.The maternity insurance plan, however, is for those husbands who are not prepared to gamble with their wives' health or that of the young and defenceless life that they, after all, have elected to bring into this world.What it means is that before you and your wife try for a family, have her supplemental pregnancy insurance already in place.If you have a working wife, you will be losing her income so there's a loss to be considered at the same time as you incur all the expenses that come with pregnancy - maternity wear, vitamins and supplements, doctors' bills and medical checks - plus your own inevitable time off work occasionally (and that will always be at the most inconvenient times, you can bet on it!).Add in any ante-natal complications that can arise - such as arrhythmia, high blood pressure, anxiety or panic attacks - and the money you have to find on a reduced family income can be a real worry.Once your wife is already pregnant it's too late.You won't get supplemental pregnancy insurance, as pregnancy is considered a pre-existing condition.So before you conceive, consider both your options in maternity cover.Major medical insurance for doctors and hospitals.Have this sort of plan in place before your wife becomes pregnant, and your worries are over.Major medical health insurance "bulk bills", which means you receive no accounts - the bills are paid directly to the provider (doctor, radiologist, hospital and ultimately hospital or mid-wife at the time of birth).Your group plan, through your employer, should cover everything; certainly labour, birth and any complications that might arise.If not, go to the private market, but you'll find that expensive without your committing to a hefty excess.Supplemental pregnancy insurance that fills crucial gaps.The supplemental pregnancy insurance works slightly differently, in that the benefits are paid directly to you and it's up to you to pay the doctor or hospital.When purchased prior to conception, it helps create a maternity leave income by covering normal labour and delivery expenses.If your wife works and her employer has a plan in place, she can use these supplemental payments to see her through her time off work.

Are you looking for Health Insurance coverage in South Africa? There are a plethora of website on the World Wide Web selling health insurance.Companies like Bupa International, Allianz Worldwide Care, ihi Bupa, Global Health and the like, are all International Health Insurance providers.How do you choose a health insurance company?Before you even begin to look at the product, there are other implications that you need to consider.Medical cover in South Africa is legislated under the Medical Schemes Act.For many years, there was an ongoing debate (called the Demarcation Debate) surrounding health insurance and medical aid cover.Generally (this is my opinion), if a company is doing the business of a Medical Scheme in South Africa it needs to be registered as a South African Medical aid (although there is a lot more to this than my generalisation).Why is this important to the consumer?(1) If a scheme is registered under the Medical Schemes Act, you as a consumer have recourse through the Medical Schemes Council for issues which could arise (non payment of claims,etc.).You will not have this recourse on an insurance plan.If you were needing to bring something to the attention of an ombudsman, you would need to do so through the country where the health insurance licence of that provider is held.(2) Waiting periods on a South African registered scheme.The maximum (penalty) that a South African Medical aid can impose on someone joining a scheme is a 3 month general waiting period and a 12 month condition specific waiting period.Generally, a scheme would only apply these penalties when you already have a condition upon joining a scheme.This is one of the ways that a scheme can manage their risk pool.On an Insurance product, you could be denied cover for that condition.Or, another way for an insurance company to manage risk would be to deny more comprehensive cover once you have a condition and applied for more cover.A lot of the products also have built in waiting periods before you can use certain of the cover (pregnancy for instance would be pretty standard to have a waiting period for cover when joining a scheme).(3) Late Joiner Penalties on a South African registered Medical Scheme.Late joiner penalties can be applied to someone who is over the age of 35 joining a South African medical aid.In short, this is a penalty applied if you haven't been part of registered South African Scheme.It works on the number of years over the age of 35 that you have not belonged to a scheme.(4) Prescribed Minimum Benefits.There are over 270 conditions and about 25 of them are chronic where a medical scheme needs to provide cover at cost.This is not a requirement for a health insurance plan as they are not registered South African medical aid schemes.(5) The Broker.You do not have to go through a broker to join a medical scheme in South Africa.You are allowed to go directly to the scheme and apply.Obviously, as the plans have become more and more complex, the better option is to go through an accredited broker.You would need an exemption issued by the Medical Schemes Council to be able to sell International Health Insurance plans in South Africa.So make sure that your broker is.Registered with the Council of Medical Schemes if he is selling you any medical type product (other than travel insurance).(6) How do the different plans pay claims?Medical aids (not traditional medical aid schemes) will usually pay a provider based on a rate.I.E.A Discovery Health rate, a Momentum Health rate, etc.This is probably where the biggest advantage of health insurance is.Generally, they will pay based on actual cost.So if a doctor charges R12000, they would generally pay the R12000.Why do people join International Health Insurance Plans in South Africa?(a) For international medical cover.(b) for simplicity.The health insurance plans are less complicated than medical aids, where rates are applied,etc.(C) Language.If you are a foreign national and don't speak much English, a lot of the international health insurance companies have call centres where the staff speak other languages.These are the basic difference between a local medical aid and international health insurance.Please note that a local South African who is not travelling may not buy a international health insurance plan.Kenny Williamson.(Please note that this posting has not been vetted by another person and the opinions expressed are mine alone).

A health insurance company covers the cost of the benefits that are mentioned in their health insurance policies.These may include both tests and treatments.Benefits offered by a health insurance policy that are covered by the insurance company are known as "covered services".The policyholder is responsible for paying for medical care that is not covered by insurance company.Some health insurance companies provide cover for specific critical illnesses, accidents, disability, non-urgent healthcare services, orthopedic surgery, hospitalization, and loss of limbs.But each plan is different. the health insurance coverage basically depends upon the particular plan purchased.Most health insurances in the U.S are bound by law to cover mandated benefits like treatment for diabetes and screening for prostate cancer.There has been a gradual trend of seeking policies that offer surgical coverage instead of coverage for ailments treated by the family doctor.It is not uncommon for a health insurance policyholder to find that the medical service that he most requires is not covered by his policy.It is helpful if a policyholder's family doctor is conversant with what the policy covers so that if possible he can prescribe medical treatment that is covered in the policy.Health insurances may also cover disability and provide the policyholder with an income, which is a percentage of his actual income.This is applicable if the disablement occurs due to a mishap or an illness and renders the policy holder incapable of work.Ideally, the policy should provide coverage at least until the age of 65.The important fact to remember is that every health insurance program is unique, and offers different coverage.You shouldn't ever assume you have a particular coverage, but instead should make sure to read the fine print of the policy.Finally, to be safe, only seek insurance from a reputable company.

Several consultants believe that joining a private practice could provide them with more income.With a private healthcare market averaging $4bn, insuring about seven and a half million people, there is no wonder that consultants are eager to get started.Of course when you decide to start a private practice you have requirements which must be met.Some of the requirements for starting a private practice include. FRCA or equivalent, a registered medical degree, certification of completion for necessary training, as well as joining the right specialist register of the GMC.Should you decide to become a doctor with their own private practice, you should understand that you will have to pay more for your subscription to medical indemnity; you will also encounter difficult accounts, meaning that you must ensure that your private practice will not interfere with your NHS contract.Obtaining Admitting Rights .Without admitting rights and/or practicing privileges you are unable to begin work as a doctor in a private practice.Any private hospital will have a Medical Advisory Committee also known as MAC that compromises their consultants about the subspecialties.The senior manager of the hospital is able to give practicing privileges to interested consultants, pending that they meet the required standards set forth by the MAC.As a consultant you must understand that practicing privileges are not always given based on rights, as they have the right to deny those who do meet the requirements.However, this should not discourage you from trying to obtain your rights.If interested you should request the proper forms and applications to get started.Getting Registered With a Private Medical Register.If you intend to be paid for the services you offer your patients, you will need to successfully register with a private medical insurer.In order to register, consultants will have to submit the necessary documents that will provide the private medical insurer with proof that they are in fact qualified for the job.Some of the larger private medical insurers are BUPA, WPA, Aviva, BCWA, and Axa PPP Healthcare.Seeking Advice from an Accountant.Getting an accountant with the proper experience can be beneficial to a consultant wishing to get into private practice.They are able to give you advice on things such as banking, billing, expenses, and taxation.You can also be given advice on setting up pensions for your private practice.Any work completed by the accountant is tax deductable.Billing in Your Practice.In order to properly run your private practice you have to be able to obtain the right billing information.You need to make sure that adequate records are kept for any patient that you treat remembering to record their address, name, phone number, birth date, insurance information, hospital in which services were provided, date of treatment, procedures that were performed, any other consultants that were present, as well as any mishaps that may have occurred.It is important that when storing this billing information that you are sure to protect your patient's rights.There are lots of different software and databases that hospitals use to keep their patient information safe from harm.Creating Fees for Your Private Practice.Every consultant should clearly understand the difference between benefits and fees.Insurance companies will cover the benefit side of things making sure to pay for all procedures that were performed on an insured patient.Fees are what should be applied to those who either have insurance that won't cover everything, or do not have insurance at all.There are a lot of factors that will play a role in determining your fees such as the type of procedure, length of stay in the hospital, medical equipment used, number of staff used to care for the patient and much more.You want to set fees that will put money in your pocket, however, not leave your patients unable to repay you for your services.Starting your own private practice is a dream for many consultants today.There are other factors that must be considered before deciding to start your own practice.If you are uncertain as to whether or not starting a practice is for you, you should consider speaking with a fellow colleague that already has one established.You can speak about the pros and cons of running your own private practice and get a better understanding as to whether this career path is truly for you.