BestMed Medical Scheme vs Medimed
BestMed Medical Scheme versus Medimed 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 Medimed 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 Medimed?
So if you’re ready to go “all in” with the BestMed versus Medimed in South Africa, this guide is for you.
Let’s dive right in…
Overall Comparison
| ✔️ Feature | 🥇 BestMed (2025) | 🥇 Medimed |
| General comparison | 5/5 | 3/5 |
| Number of plans | 13 | 4 |
| Lowest premium | R2 111.00 (Beat1 Network) | R1 680.00 (Alpha) |
| Highest premium | R11 662.00 (Pace4) | R3 980.00 (Medsave Max) |
| Student Plan | No | No |
| Gap Cover | No | A member can apply with Momentum |
| Hospital plans | Yes | Yes |
| Maternity benefits | Yes | Yes |
| Number of members | 210 000 | 6 000+ |
Plan benefits
| ✔️ Feature | 🥇 BestMed | 🥇 Medimed |
| Name of Plan | • Beat1 • Beat1 Network • Rhythm1 • Rhythm2 • Beat2 • Beat2 Network • Beat3 • Beat3 Network • Pace1 • Beat4 • Pace2 • Pace3 • Pace4 | • Alpha • Medisave Essential • Medisave Max • Medisave Standard |
| 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 | • Alpha: R1 680.00 • Medisave Essential: R1 1600.00 • Medisave Max: R3 980.00 • Medisave Standard: R2 300.00 (Price per plan is determined by your income) |
| GP Visits | Yes | Yes |
| GP in room visits | Yes | Yes |
| Specialist visits | Yes | Yes |
| Acute medication | Yes | Yes |
| Chronic medication | Yes | Yes |
| Basic pathology | Yes | Yes |
| Basic and emergency dentistry | Yes | Yes |
| Basic optometry | Yes | Yes |
| HIV benefit | Yes | Yes |
| Maternity benefit | Yes | Yes |
| Road accident claims | Yes | Will give assistance |
BestMed Medical Scheme vs. Medimed
👉 Both BestMed and Medimed are 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 Medimed?
👉 While Medimed offers the lowest premium on its Alpha plan, BestMed offers a greater selection of affordable medical aid plans designed for individuals, young families, and pensioners.
👉 It should also be noted that Medimed’s Medisave Essential plan is a capitated option and it is unfortunately only available to members in the Nelson Mandela Metropole as this is the area where the aid has specific contracts with the providers.
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 self payment gap cover. Once your savings are depleted you have access to your day-today benefits.
👉 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.
👉 Medimed offers the option to take out gap cover with Momentum which specifically makes provision for clients of Medimed.
Do both schemes offer hospital plans?
👉 Yes, both BestMed and Medimed 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 coverage in hospitals for specialists and full coverage for chronic medication.
👉 All four plans offered by Medimed give you access to quality care at private hospitals and the Medisave Max plan has no overall annual limit.
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 have 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.
You might also consider the following options BestMed has to offer:
- 💙 BestMed Beat 2 Network
- 💙 BestMed Beat 1 Network
- 💙 BestMed Tempo
- 💙 BestMed Pace 4
- 💙 BestMed Pace 3
- 💙 BestMed Pace 2
- 💙 BestMed Pace 1
- 💙 BestMed Rhythm 2
- 💙 BestMed Rhythm 1
- 💙 BestMed Beat 4
- 💙 BestMed Beat 3
- 💙 BestMed Beat 2
- 💙 BestMed Beat 1
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 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 Medimed?
👉 The Medimed Medical Aid, founded in 1980, focuses on providing healthcare solutions to members in the Nelson Mandela Metropolis. As of the end of 2012, the scheme had just over 5,500 members and reserves of more than R124 million.
👉 Medimed’s primary mission is to give the members of the organisation access to a comprehensive medical care facility that extends to encompass a wide range of additional components.
👉 According to the regulations of the Scheme, the key participants in the plan will consist of those workers who are currently employed by the company as well as the beneficiaries of those workers. Members who have reached retirement age and are still eligible for benefits under the plan are known as retirees and their beneficiaries respectively.
👉 Medimed’s delivery arrangements include a capitated managed care model where comprehensive cover is purchased from the local IPA’s (Independent Practice Associations) and free choice.
👉 Medimed provides four options with comprehensive hospitalisation and chronic medication coverage. Each plan provides a different way to manage the out-of-hospital benefits. The Alpha option is a co-payment plan. Medisave Max and Standard provide out-of-hospital benefits through a savings account with an additional elective benefit. The Medisave Essential option is a managed health care plan provided by contracted service providers with the added flexibility of a savings account.
Medimed Medical Aid has a late joiner fee and also has the following plans to choose from:
Who will benefit from Medimed?
👉 All Medimed’s 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which medical aid offers the cheapest medical plan, Medimed or Bestmed?
Bestmed has the cheapest plan namely the Rhythm1 Network plan at R1 615.00 per month. Medimed’s cheapest medical plan is the Alpha plan at R1 680.00 per month.
Which medical aid, Bestmed or Medimed are the most popular?
Whereas Bestmed has a membership of over 210 000, Medimed only boast 6 000+. Bestmed also offers a choice between 13 medical plans compared to the four of Medimed.
Do Medimed and Bestmed medical aids offer the option of gap cover?
Bestmed don’t have gap cover bat external providers that can assist with gap cover. With Medimed, members have the option to apply for gap cover with Momentum.
Do Medimed and Bestmed medical aids have a waiting period?
Yes, both Bestmed and Medimed have a three-month waiting period during which you are unable to submit a claim.
Which is the best medical aid between Bestmed and Medimed?
Bestmed has won numerous awards since its inception in 1964. The company also has the lowest ratings in the industry when it comes to beneficiary complaints. Medimed, a relatively young medical aid that was founded only in 1980, focuses solely on providing healthcare to its members in Nelson Mandela Petropolis.
