The benefits of a medical aid for single parents
Being a single parent comes with a plethora of stresses.
Dealing with the needs of a growing child while having to work and take on a range of other costs gives you a limited budget to work with.
This means that you will most likely be looking for the cheapest medical aid rates possible if you are considering medical aid plans for your near future.
If you are wary of taking on another ‘debt’ in the form of a medical aid, you should not doubt the benefits of having a medical aid, no matter the age of your child or children.
Below are just some of the advantages of having a medical aid as a single parent.
Daily GP visits
If there is one thing that every parent of a young child knows, it’s that flu season needs to be met head on, as do the variety of other illnesses your children can contract over their lifetime (stomach bugs, measles and mumps, anyone?).
These GP visits can become expensive if you have to keep paying out of your own pocket every time, so having even the cheapest medical aid can help your financial situation. These GP visits include blood tests, X Rays and medication. If your child is younger, these will include visits to the paediatrician up until they are considered too old for this type of visit.
Hospital cover for emergencies
With children, a few broken bones from climbing adventures or painful sprains from riding bikes or scooters are inevitable. Luckily these can be fixed by a visit to the doctor’s offices. However, there may come a time when your child needs to be rushed to hospital for a serious accident.
Medical aid plans offer hospital cover for these times of emergency, allowing you to focus on making your child feel better rather than worrying about how you are going to pay for the hospital fees. Working with only one budget can be difficult when your child falls seriously ill and needs hospitalisation, which is where medical aid plans can come in handy. Hospital cover is limited to network hospitals, and you may need to pay a fee if you opt for a hospital that is not in your network.
You can find income-based plans
Single parents not only deal with the stresses of looking after a child, or children, but have to deal with the affordability of their lifestyle. Many medical aid providers offer income-based options, and you can calculate how much you will pay by using their online calculators.
Contributions correlate directly to the income of the principal member, which means that you will be able to find the cheapest medical aid rates to match your budget. It is important to remember, however, that the lower the contributions the more likely it is that you will have to use government facilities. This might not be ideal but it does provide cover if something should happen to your little bundle of joy.
You need to take care of yourself, too
Having a medical aid as a single parent is great for caring for your children, but it is important to remember that you need to take care of yourself too. If your health diminishes, so does your ability to look after your children.
Medical aids offer comprehensive cover for illnesses, dread diseases and chronic medication, which means that you will be able to care for your own health as well as that of your little ones. Caring for yourself as a parent is not a selfish act, it enables you to be your best self and remain healthy in order to perform all of your daily duties to your best abilities. Remember to get regular health checkups for both you and your children to ensure you are in good health.
Peace of mind
As a single parent, you have a lot to worry about, with the biggest concern being the health of your children. Being able to afford even the cheapest medical aid rates means that you will have peace of mind that your children will be able to visit a doctor with ease if the need arises.
Peace of mind can do a lot to ease the stresses of a single parent. A medical aid also allows for visits to a psychologist for both parents and children, so if you feel overly stressed there is the option of getting help. A medical aid offers daily GP visits, cover for chronic medication as well as hospital cover for those emergency times. You will be able to find income-based plans to suit your budget, allowing you the ability to give your child all the love and care they need to become healthy and strong.