Bonitas vs. Medshield
BestMed Medical Scheme versus Medshield 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 Medshield 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 Medshield?
So if you’re ready to go “all in” with the BestMed versus Medshield in South Africa, this guide is for you.
Let’s dive right in…
Overall Comparison
✔️ Feature | 🥇 Bonitas | 🥇 Medshield |
General comparison | 5/5 | 5/5 |
Number of plans | 15 | 11 |
Lowest premium | R1 378.00 (BonStart Plan) | R1 584.00 (MediCurve) |
Highest premium | R9 853.00 (BonComprehensive Plan) | R7 587.00 (MediBonus) |
Student Plan | No | No |
Gap Cover | Yes | Medshield members can access gap cover through their brokers |
Hospital plans | Yes | Yes |
Maternity benefits | Yes | Yes |
Number of members | 730 000 | 250 000 |
Plan benefits
✔️ Feature | 🥇 Bonitas | 🥇 Medshield |
Name of Plan | • BonStart • BonStart Plus • BonFit Select • BonSave • BonComplete • BonClassic • BonComprehensive • Standard • Standard Select • Primary • Primary Select • BonEssential • BonEssential Select • Hospital Standard • BonCap | • PremiumPlus • MediBonus • MediSaver • MediPlus Prime • MediPlus Compact • MediCore • MediValue Prime • MediValue Compact • MediSwift • MediPhila • MediCurve |
Price per plan | • BonStart: R1 378.00 • BonStart Plus: R1 754.00 • BonFit Select: R2 295.00 • BonSave: R3 447.00 • BonComplete: R5 359.00 • BonClassic: R6 732.00 • BonComprehensive: R9 853.00 • Standard: R4 922.00 • Standard Select: R4 448.00 • Primary: R2 993.00 • Primary Select: R2 619.00 • BonEssential: R2 287.00 • BonEssential Select: R1 998.00 • Hospital Standard: R2 964.00 | • PremiumPlus: R7 842.00 • MediBonus: R7 587.00 • MediSaver: R4 524.00 • MediPlus Prime: R4 539.00 MediPlus Compact: R4 125.00 • MediCore: R3 474.00 • MediValue Prime: R2 736.00 • MediValue Compact: R2 478.00 • MediSwift: R2 037.00 • MediPhila: R1 851.00 • MediCurve: R1 584.00 |
GP Visits | Yes | Yes |
GP in room visits | Yes | Yes |
Specialist visits | Yes (with sublimits) | Yes |
Acute medication | Yes | Yes |
Chronic medication | Yes | Yes |
Basic pathology | Yes | Yes |
Basic and emergency dentistry | Basic dentistry only | Yes |
Basic optometry | Yes | Yes |
HIV benefit | Yes | Yes |
Maternity benefit | Yes | Yes |
Road accident claims | Yes | Yes |
Bonitas vs. Medshield
👉 Both Bonitas and Medshield are known medical aid schemes in South Africa that provide a comprehensive selection of tailored plans. Here, we compare in these two medical aid schemes to help you decide on the best medical aid plan for your healthcare needs in 2024.
Which offers more affordable cover – Bonitas or Medshield?
👉 Bonitas has the lowest premium of the two medical aids with its BonStart plan. It also offers a variety of plans to best suit your needs while Medshield offers a choice between eleven different plans. Both medical aids provide medical aid plans that are reasonably priced. These plans are meant for individuals, families, and retirees.
Do both schemes offer gap cover?
👉 Gap coverage is a temporary insurance policy that offers shortfall coverage in cases where doctors and specialists demand more than what medical aid will cover. Your medical assistance works in conjunction with a gap cover.
👉 The gap cover provider will compensate you for a portion of the difference between your medical costs and what your medical insurance would cover in exchange for a monthly premium. You may commonly pay more for services at private hospitals if you use a healthcare practitioner who is not in the medical plan’s network than what your plan would cover.
👉 With Bonitas beneficiaries have three Gap Cover options that have been designed to provide the most comprehensive medical expense shortfall cover along with extensive financial protection against a wide range of health risks.
👉 Medshield recommends that members take out gap cover and members can access gap cover through its brokers.
Do both schemes offer hospital plans?
👉 Yes, both Bonitas and Medshield offer hospital plans. Bonitas Hospital Plans cover you in hospital for emergency and planned procedures. You also get access to some additional benefits for wellness and preventative care.
👉 All of Medshield’s plans come with hospital plans that will pay for the costs of your care if you are admitted to the hospital, including ward costs, theatre fees, and accounts from other in-hospital providers like anesthesiologists or radiologists. All of its hospital plans are governed by the terms of the Scheme, pre-approval, case management, clinical guidelines, and the benefit choice you have selected.
Who is Bonitas?
👉 The worldwide rating for Bonitas’ financial security is AA-. As a percentage, it is 30.7% solvent.
👉 Since the majority of Bonitas contributors and beneficiaries are relatively young, under 30 years old, annual contribution increases tend to be more modest on average.
👉 Hospitalization, long-term care, and pharmaceutical coverage are all available at low costs through the various medical assistance plans offered by Bonitas. This organization is a great fit for both individuals and families seeking medical insurance.
👉 Bonitas wasn’t the country of South Africa’s initial medical aid provider, but it has swiftly become the largest. Its doors first opened in 1982.
👉 The 4,500 doctors, hospitals, and other medical facilities that make up the Bonitas network are dedicated to providing high-quality care at reasonable costs.
👉 To help tackle the rising expense of healthcare, Bonitas provides its clients with two distinct solutions: oncology management and hospital and medicine management.
👉 Many Bonitas policies include coverage for Lasik eye surgery in addition to other dental and vision therapies. The interest that is accrued on each participant’s unused amount is carried over to the following year.
Who will benefit from Bonitas Medical Scheme?
👉 Bonitas is a good option for young families and individuals looking for affordable medical aid that will cover the most essential and important aspects of their medical needs, including GP visits, chronic medication, and medical emergencies in hospital.
You might also like to consider the following plans Bonitas has to offer:
- ✅ Bonitas Primary Select Medical Aid Plan
- ✅ Bonitas Primary Medical Aid Plan
- ✅ Bonitas Hospital Standard Medical Aid Plan
- ✅ Bonitas Standard Select Medical Aid Plan
- ✅ Bonitas BonStart Plus Medical Aid Plan
- ✅ Bonitas BonStart Medical Aid Plan
- ✅ Bonitas BonSave Medical Aid Plan
- ✅ Bonitas BonFit Select Medical Aid Plan
- ✅ Bonitas BonEssential Select Medical Aid Plan
- ✅ Bonitas BonEssential Medical Aid Plan
- ✅ Bonitas BonComprehensive Medical Aid Plan
- ✅ Bonitas BonComplete Medical Aid Plan
- ✅ Bonitas BonClassic Medical Aid Plan
- ✅ Bonitas BonCap Medical Aid Plan
Who is Medshield?
👉 Medshield is a well-established medical aid registered in 1968 and, following its merger with Oxygen, covering in excess of 250 000 lives. The Medshield Scheme has a Global Credit rating of AA – and has reserves well in excess of the mandated 25%.
👉 Each of the plans offered by Medshield has advantages that are reasonably priced. They medical aid constantly evaluates and enhance the variety of benefits offered by each option to provide you with what you actually need, namely high-quality healthcare that is reasonably priced and a selection of plans that are tailored to your unique, individual needs.
👉 Medshield boasts a solvency ratio and stable AA- Global Credit rating which is an indication that beneficiaries can rely on it to pay out your claims. As evidence of their dedication to their members, they invite potential clients to check with their healthcare providers about their payment history. For the 12th consecutive year, they have obtained the coveted AA- rating with a stable outlook for their future claim payment performance in recognition of their efforts to make prompt payments.
👉 All the benefit options of plans provide coverage for homes of various income levels, and members even have the choice of controlling their healthcare 24 hours a day using the provided online tools.
Who will benefit from Medshield?
👉 Medshield is your healthcare Partner for Life with an appropriate product offering for every life stage as the requirements and lifestyle of its members evolve from early adulthood to retirement. Medshield’s benefit options include affordable entry-level options to fully comprehensive medical aid coverage for individuals, professional individuals, couples, families and corporate employees.
You might also like the following plans MedShield has to offer:
- ✅ MedShield MediCurve
- ✅ MedShield PremiumPlus
- ✅ MedShield Value Compact
- ✅ MedShield MediSwift
- ✅ MedShield MediSaver
- ✅ MedShield MediPlus Prime
- ✅ MedShield MediPlus Compact
- ✅ MedShield MediPhila
- ✅ MedShield MediCore
- ✅ MedShield MediBonus
Frequently Asked Questions
Which medical aid offers the cheapest medical plan, Bonitas or Medshield?
Bonitas BonStart is the most affordable medical plan of the two, at R1 378,00 per month. Medshield offers its MediCurve Plan at R1 584.00 per month as the cheapest medical plan.
What is a main difference between Bonitas and Medshield?
Bonitas is much larger, with 730 000 members compared to Medshield’s 250 000+. Medshield offers only 11 different plans. Bonitas, however, has 15 options.
Do Bonitas and Medshield medical aids offer the option of gap cover?
Bonitas offers the option to apply for gap cover, whereas Medshield suggests that members apply for gap cover through the scheme’s brokers.
Do Bonitas and Medshield medical aids have a waiting period?
Yes, both Bonitas and Medshield have a general three-month waiting period during which you are unable to submit a claim.
Which is the best medical aid between Bonitas and Medshield?
Bonitas has been in business since 1982. Bonitas members are younger than 30 because of the lower cost of their medical plans. Medshield is a medical plan that has been operating since 1968, making it an established, reliable and experienced scheme.
Table of Contents
Frequently Asked Questions
Which medical aid offers the cheapest medical plan, Bonitas or Medshield?
Bonitas BonStart is the most affordable medical plan of the two, at R1 338,00 per month. Medshield offers its MediCurve Plan at R1 565.00 per month as the cheapest medical plan.
What is a main difference between Bonitas and Medshield?
Bonitas is much larger, with 730 000 members compared to Medshield’s 250 000+. Medshield offers only 11 different plans. Bonitas, however, has 15 options.
Do Bonitas and Medshield medical aids offer the option of gap cover?
Bonitas offers the option to apply for gap cover, whereas Medshield suggests that members apply for gap cover through the scheme’s brokers.
Do Bonitas and Medshield medical aids have a waiting period?
Yes, both Bonitas and Medshield have a general three-month waiting period during which you are unable to submit a claim.
Which is the best medical aid between Bonitas and Medshield?
Bonitas has been in business since 1982. Bonitas members are younger than 30 because of the lower cost of their medical plans. Medshield is a medical plan that has been operating since 1968, making it an established, reliable and experienced scheme.