Gap cover vs hospital cash plan

Gap cover

Gap cover pays the difference between what a specialist or hospital charges and what your medical aid pays. A specialist may charge two or three times the scheme rate, and that shortfall is yours unless gap cover pays it. It only works alongside an active medical aid. Across the market it starts from around R150 a month.

It matters most on hospital plans and lower-cost options, where the scheme rate is furthest below what specialists charge. If you do not have a medical aid yet, start with the medical aid hub; gap cover on its own pays nothing.

Hospital cash plan

A hospital cash plan pays you a fixed amount, usually R500 to R3 000, for every day you spend in hospital. The money goes to you, not the hospital, to cover lost wages, transport and family costs. It is not a medical aid and does not pay hospital bills. Across the market it starts from around R100 a month.

A hospital cash plan suits people without a medical aid who want some money coming in during a hospital stay, and people with a medical aid who want to cover the wages they lose while admitted. It does not replace a medical aid, and no insurer on our panel may present it as one.

Which one is for you

They do different jobs. Gap cover needs a medical aid and pays the bill's shortfall. A hospital cash plan needs nothing else and pays you cash. Some households keep both. Olvian does not give advice; the licensed insurer who calls you is allowed to.

Draft for review. Sentences are drawn from the published Olvian copy; expand before launch.