Medical Aid Advice for Singles in Their Thirties

You're in your thirties, increasingly confident and self-aware, but your life seems to be characterised by change with marriage, divorce, career evolution, and an increasing number of trips to medical specialists becoming key considerations. Despite these constant fluctuations, there are certain principles you can follow when choosing a medical aid at this stage of your life.

4 Factors to Consider When Choosing Medical Aid

Age

While in your twenties you're likely to have started your first job and enjoyed your first pay cheques, unencumbered by debt. You may even have boasted to friends and family that you never need to visit your doctor due to your healthy lifestyle.

Now that you are in your thirties, things have changed. You are likely to have bought a car and property and taken out insurance and probably wish you didn't have so many debit orders coming off your account each month. These demands have made it necessary for you to budget more carefully, including for changing medical aid needs.

Health

During your thirties your health status may change and you might need better optometry cover or even chronic medication.

Most schemes offer preventative care and screening benefits for members. It's important for you to start taking advantage of these by having regular check-ups and ensuring that prevention rather than cure remains top of mind. As preventative care and screening benefits are often paid for by the scheme they will not affect your medical savings account.

Use preventative cures to keep yourself healthy as early diagnosis and faster treatment help you avoid costly and invasive treatments. Through their wellness programmes, many schemes will reward you for having regular check-ups and monitoring your health such as body weight, blood sugar levels, and blood pressure. "It's not advisable to choose a medical aid plan based on a wellness rewards programme, however if these appeal to you, they do reinforce a healthy lifestyle" says Alexia Graham, Director Hippo Advice.

Gender

"Medical aid benefits do not discriminate based on gender," says Graham. "Health risks like cancer for those in their thirties are not gender-based; breast cancer occurs in women and prostate cancer in men. The oncology benefits would apply to both, subject to the treatment protocols of the scheme."

Relationships

Relationships of singles in their thirties range from very simple to highly complex. Some may have no family responsibilities while others could have children and even an ex-spouse to support following a divorce. If you fall into the latter category, place your dependents on a medical aid that takes varying family health needs into consideration.

Women in their thirties are of child-bearing age making maternity benefits a high priority for people in this group. If you are considering children, ensure that you have the correct medical aid in place before falling pregnant as you may be subjected to waiting periods afterwards. All medical aid products offer maternity benefits. An important consideration is understanding the difference between what's covered during in hospital stays, the rules that apply, and the benefits offered out-of-hospital, such as scans and ante-natal classes or visits to the paediatrician.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial, legal, or medical advice.