BestMed Medical Scheme vs Medihelp
BestMed Medical Scheme versus Medihelp compared and revealed.
We tested them side by side and verified their medical aid plans benefits, affordability, and much more.
This is a complete guide to BestMed and Medihelp in South Africa.
In this in-depth guide you’ll learn:
- What is a Medical Scheme?
- Which medical aid is the best for young families?
- Which medical aid is best for a young person?
- How to compare medical aids against each other?
- Which should you choose: BestMed or Medihelp?
So if you’re ready to go “all in” with the BestMed versus Medihelp in South Africa, this guide is for you.
Let’s dive right in…
Overall Comparison
| ✔️ Feature | 🥇 BestMed (2025) | 🥇 Medihelp |
| General comparison | 5/5 | 5/5 |
| Number of plans | 13 | 9 |
| Lowest premium | R2 111.00 (Beat1 Network) | R894.00 (MedElect Student) |
| Highest premium | R11 662.00 (Pace4) | R12 792.00 (MedPlus) |
| Student Plan | No | Yes |
| Gap Cover | No | No, with another provider |
| Hospital plans | Yes | Yes |
| Maternity benefits | Yes | Yes |
| Number of members | 210 000 | 200 000+ |
Plan benefits
| ✔️ Feature | 🥇 BestMed | 🥇 Medihelp |
| Name of Plan | • Beat1 • Beat1 Network • Rhythm1 • Rhythm2 • Beat2 • Beat2 Network • Beat3 • Beat3 Network • Pace1 • Beat4 • Pace2 • Pace3 • Pace4 | • MedElect Student • MedMove! • MedVital! • MedAdd • MedSaver • MedElect • MedPrime • MedElite • MedPlus |
| Price per plan | Beat1: R2 347.00 • Beat1 Network: R2 111.00 • Rhythm1: R1 615.00 • Rhythm2: R2 368.00 • Beat2: R2 869.00 • Beat2 Network: R2 581.00 • Beat3: R4 199.00 • Beat3 Network: R3 779.00 • Pace1: R5 706.00 • Beat4: R6 832.00 • Pace2: R8 132.00 • Pace3: R9 336.00 • Pace4: R11 662.00 | • MedElect Student: R894.00 • MedMove!: R1 476.00 • MedVital: R2 598.00 • MedAdd: R3 354.00 • MedSaver: R3 516.00 • MedElect: R2 820.00 • MedPrime: R4 782.00 • MedElite: R7 368.00 • MedPlus: R12 792.00 |
| GP Visits | Yes | Network and Non Network |
| GP in room visits | Yes | Network and Non Network |
| Specialist visits | Yes | Yes |
| Acute medication | Yes | Yes |
| Chronic medication | Yes | Yes |
| Basic pathology | Yes | Yes |
| Basic and emergency dentistry | Yes | Yes and differs from plan to plan |
| Basic optometry | Yes | Yes, with exception of the Student plan |
| HIV benefit | Yes | Yes |
| Maternity benefit | Yes | Yes |
| Road accident claims | Yes | Will give assistance |
BestMed Medical Scheme vs. Medihelp
👉 Both BestMed and Medihelp are well-known medical aid schemes that provide a comprehensive selection of tailored plans. Here, we compare in these two medical aid schemes to help you decide on the best option for your healthcare needs in 2025.
Which offers more affordable cover – BestMed or Medihelp?
👉 While Medihelp offers the lowest premium on its MedElect Student and MedMove! plans, BestMed offers a greater selection of affordable medical aid plans designed for individuals, young families, and pensioners.
Do both schemes offer gap cover?
👉 Gap cover is a short-term insurance policy which provides shortfall cover where doctors and specialists charge above medical aid rates of cover.
👉 BestMed doesn’t have their own Gap cover. Once your savings are depleted, you have access to your day-to-day benefits. Therefore, you do not have to fund any gap.
👉Medihelp doesn’t have their own gap cover.
Do both schemes offer hospital plans?
👉 Yes, both BestMed and Medihelp offer hospital plans. BestMed offers you a choice of only having hospital coverage with your plan or combining it with day-to-day expenses. BestMed hospital plans cover you in the hospital for unlimited emergency and planned procedures. You also get access to some additional benefits for wellness and preventative care. It includes full cover in hospitals for specialists and full cover for chronic medication.
👉 All Medihelp’s plans give you access to quality care at private hospitals with no overall annual limit. Some Medihelp plans offer you a choice between using any hospital or a network hospital when you join the network version of the plan at a considerably lower premium, which is made possible by negotiating tariffs with efficient networks of hospitals and day procedure facilities.
Do both schemes offer wellness programs?
Bestmed
BestMed’s Tempo wellness program offers a comprehensive approach to improving overall health and well-being. It includes three key components: Fitness, Nutrition, and Emotional Wellbeing.
The program is designed to be flexible and accessible, with no complicated points systems or tiers. All members, regardless of their benefit option, can access Tempo benefits at no additional cost.
Key features of the Tempo program include:
- Health Assessments: Regular assessments help members monitor their progress and identify areas for improvement.
- Emotional Wellbeing Support: Access to services and benefits to support mental health.
- Nutrition and Fitness Programs: Personalized guidance to improve diet and physical activity.
- Online Access: All Tempo journeys are available online, allowing members to manage their health from the convenience of their mobile devices.
- Flexibility: Members can choose between face-to-face consultations with healthcare providers or online journeys.
Note: Bestmed members’ dependants only.
The HA needs to be done at a contracted pharmacy (Dis-Chem, Clicks or Van Heerdens), on-site at participating employer groups, or online in the Health Assessment tab via the Fitness and Nutrition Journeys.
Medihelp
Medihelp understands that a healthy lifestyle is the foundation for overall well-being. Their comprehensive wellness program is designed to empower you to take control of your health and achieve your goals.
With a focus on prevention, education, and support, we offer a range of services and resources to help you live a healthier, happier life.
Who is BestMed Medical Scheme?
👉 Bestmed was founded in 1964 and currently has more than 210 000 lives under its care. The Scheme is the largest self-administered scheme in South Africa and the fourth largest open medical scheme.
👉 BestMed has also been recognised for its outstanding contribution to the medical aid and healthcare industry and has received a number of awards. In 2020 and 2021 it received the highest rating for perceived quality, perceived value, customer service and customer loyalty in the Medical Scheme Industry Category in the South African Customer Satisfaction Index (SA-csi). The scheme also received the highest rating for customer expectations, and has the lowest rating in the industry for beneficiary complaints.
👉 Bestmed was ranked number one in the Medical Aid Industry performance category of the 2020 Ask Afrika Orange Index® and was also awarded the Excellence in Creating Access to Quality Healthcare (Organisations) award at the 2020 annual Titanium Awards presented by the Board for Healthcare Fundraisers (BHF).
👉 BestMed recognises that people’s healthcare needs are different, depending on their age, marital status, family size, general health, priorities and budget and keeping this in mind, offers three main medical plan ranges, each with its own unique benefit options to choose from.
👉 They have a solution for you whether you simply only want to pay for hospital expenses or demand a more comprehensive product. The three categories for plans on offer are beaten, pace, and rhythm.
👉 The Beat range provides flexible hospital benefits as well as savings on certain options to cover out-of-hospital expenses. Beat1, 2, and 3 also allow you to reduce your monthly contribution by choosing a Network option.
👉 The Pace range offers more comprehensive in-hospital and out-of-hospital benefits. In addition, these options all have additional savings accounts to cover extensive out-of-hospital expenses.
👉 The Rhythm range consists of Network only options that offer in-hospital and GP benefits.
Who will benefit from BestMed Medical Scheme?
👉 BestMed offers comprehensive medical cover that is well-suited towards individuals, established families and higher income earners as well as pensioners.
👉 BestMed also operates on a network-based coverage basis, so that individuals should first check whether they reside in areas that fall within the pre-selected GP, hospital and specialist network, making it a better option for those residing in urban areas.
Who is Medihelp?
👉 Medihelp is the second largest self-administered medical aid in South Africa and has been serving the interests of members for the past 117 years. It has close to 200 000 beneficiaries, and remains one of the top five choices of medical aid in the industry.
👉 The sole objective of Medihelp, as a self-administered medical aid, is to look after its members and provide for their medical needs. All South Africans are welcome to apply, whether they are students, newly employed individuals looking to enrol in a medical insurance plan for the first time, independent business owners searching for a trustworthy healthcare provider for their staff, or parents supporting expanding families.
👉 Medihelp’s reserve level is well above the legal requirement and its ability to pay members’ claims is rated amongst the highest in the industry at AA minus by Global Credit Rating (GCR), the largest independent rating company in Africa.
👉 Medihelp is owned by its members and handles administrative duties as processing and paying claims, pre-authorisation and communication with members in-house.
Who will benefit from Medihelp?
👉 All Medihelp plans are designed to provide solid cover for what is considered essential to preserve and protect your health. It makes provision for students, singles, couples, families and pensioners
MediHelp has the following 11 plans to choose from:
Frequently Asked Questions
Which medical aid offers the cheapest medical plan, Bestmed or Medihelp?
Medihelp offers the cheapest medical plan with its MedElect Student plan at R894.00 which is specifically aimed at students. The cheapest plan with BestMed is the Rhythm 1 Network plan at R1 615.00 per month.
Which medical aid, Bestmed or Medihelp are the most popular?
Both medical aids boast membership of over 200 000. However, Bestmed has a bigger variety of plan to choose from which is 13 compared to the nine offered by Medihelp.
Do Medihelp and Bestmed medical aids offer the option of gap cover?
Bestmed does offer the option to apply for gap cover within the scheme’s plans. Medihelp does not offer direct gap cover but advises its members to take out gap cover from an independent insurer.
Do Medihelp and Bestmed medical aids have a waiting period?
Yes, both Medihelp and Bestmed have a general three-month waiting period during which you are unable to submit a claim.
Which is the best medical aid between Bestmed and Medihelp.
Since Bestmed inception in 1964, it has received numerous awards which speaks for itself. It also has the lowest rating in the industry for beneficiary complaints. Medihelp, on the other hand must be one of the oldest medical aid schemes in South Africa. It was founded in 1905 as the Civil Service Medical Benefit Association. Today it is one of the largest open medical aids in South Africa.
