Young and healthy? You still need medical cover Tony SingleTon
MAny people are struggling with reduced income as a result of the pandemic, and when budgets are tight, it is easy to think that things such as insurance are not a necessity. Furthermore, the South African gDP saw its biggest contraction in a century, highlighting the devastating effect of the virus. When it comes to medical aid and health insurance such as gap cover, however, this thinking could not be further from the truth. While illness and dread diseases such as cancer mainly affect those age 66 and above, they do occur in all ages, and Covid-19 is unpredictable, with more than 200 deaths in South Africa in 2020 occurring in people under the age of 40. Medical expense shortfalls could financially cripple young people who do not have savings built up, especially families just starting out. Disease affects young and old While the majority of those who have been severely affected by Covid-19 have been older or have had existing comorbidities, the reality is that young and seemingly healthy people have also ended up in hospital and even in intensive care. Although Covid is a Prescribed Minimum Benefit (PMB) condition, not all treatments are covered as such, which means that those affected could end up with related medical expense shortfalls.
