Types of health insurance

There are 3 main types of health insurance policies available.

Hospital and surgical only policies (HSO)

Also called "Hospital-only" policies, HSO policies cover expenses related to hospitalisation and non-urgent semi-acute surgery such as a heart bypass. They also cover basic diagnostic procedures and specialist consultations that are related to the hospitalisation/surgery and that take place in a defined period (usually 3 to 6 months before and after hospitalisation/surgery).

Hospital and specialist cover policies (HSO-plus)

An HSO-plus policy can help provide peace of mind when you want quick access to a diagnosis. Add-on policies usually cover specialist consultations and diagnostic procedures that aren't related to surgical treatment or hospitalisation.

In order to be covered by your HSO-plus policy, the procedure must usually be recommended by a specialist or a GP. Examples of the diagnostic procedures covered by these policies are x-rays, mammography, ultrasound, electrocardiogram (ECG), electromyography (EMG), and laboratory testing (including allergy tests).

You may find standard HSO-only policies that cover some of these HSO-plus procedures.

Comprehensive policies

Comprehensive policies include all the cover provided by HSO-plus policies, and also cover GP visits, and prescriptions.

Because these policies cover more, they cost more ... a whole lot more.

Feedback from Consumer subscribers suggests that comprehensive policies are not as popular as they used to be, and this is confirmed by figures from health insurers.

For this reason we no longer assess comprehensive policies and pricing.