Liberty Health Medical Scheme again offers excellent value-for-money rates for 2009

Liberty Health Medical Scheme (LHMS) has announced that the average increase for 2009 across all of its medical plans is 12.7%. “We are confident this increase will continue to fund the level of real benefits for our members” says Andrew Edwards (pictured), EPO of LHMS. “We encourage our members and potential members to look at the actual cost of their scheme versus the real benefits received, because it is simply not possible to have below medical inflation increases year on year without compromising on members’ benefits. This is not something we are prepared to do. In the year of our tenth anniversary, we are pleased to note we have been able to maintain and build superior benefits at affordable premiums since inception.”

Edwards says that generally very few changes have been made to most options for 2009, in line with’ Liberty Health Medical Scheme’s approach to maintain benefits and provide value for money and not to confuse members with complicated changes. “But scheme offerings do promise to be even more attractive due to a unique market segmentation study conducted during 2008. This study seeks to determine individuals’ needs and wants based on a combination of factors such as current life circumstances, purchasing power and even where members live. By looking at needs and then categorizing them, the scheme is able to build more relevant options that fulfill an individual’s requirements in a cost effective manner and develop a logical movement through the various options as an individual’s needs change during their life time.”

One area where members will see a marked improvement is in service levels. “Our service levels have been consistently good for a long time now and we are ready to take this to the next level. This means a much closer association with our scheme administrators and for this reason we are changing the scheme administrator with effect from 1 November 2008, to Liberty Health, specifically to its administrator Vmed. This move does not entail a change in our systems, which we consider to be the best health IT capability in Africa, so the impact of the crossover itself on members will be minimal. ”

2008 saw the introduction of an entry level corporate network option called Silver Corporate Network. This will be renamed Corporate Network from 2009, but will continue to offer substantial benefits in a salary-banded framework and will remain the preferred option for employers wanting cover for their lower-paid staff. There have been considerable enhancements to this option since its recent launch and this is particularly significant in view of the fact that the overall increase in 2009 premium for this product has been set at 8.5%, which is well below the estimated year end CPI !

Liberty Health has recently launched its ‘365 days of health activism ’ programme with the holistic concept of ‘Me, My Family, My World’ that goes a long way in motivating members to look after themselves, their family and their environment.

Edwards highlights that another new offering, launched by Liberty Health, is the Live Well programme “Although not part of the medical scheme, it complements it perfectly. It is an inexpensive programme that employers can purchase for staff to address issues not covered by medical schemes.The programme has three distinct legs, being physical health, confidential assistance with personal or family problems, legal issues, and substance abuse and alifestyle assistance leg to assist employees in handling the day to day issues whilst keeping them productive.. This product is well-suited to small to medium sized employers who do not have in-house expertise to deal with such matters.”

Liberty Health has also launched a post retirement medical expenses funding policy. The Medical Pre-funder allows members to contribute monthly to a policy that pays out on retirement so the member can continue to afford excellent medical cover well into retirement. It is a flexible product that can be transferred on change of employer and has premium waivers in the case of disability or retrenchment.

Edwards says LHMS continues to pursue its core values of integrity, trust, professionalism and transparency through numerous avenues. “New members can be loaded on the system within 24 hours, the same membership number stays with them for life, our education programmes are ongoing so members are constantly updated on plan changes and can change their options accordingly. Email, SMS and internet functionalities, call centres and a mini-statement facility are just a few of the tools we use to enhance the membership experience alongside competitively priced health options.”

Edwards concludes that product development and value-for-money innovation continues unabated. “We will use the power of the Liberty Group to increase our product offerings targeted at the various segments of the market at different stages of life

Global Credit Rating Company recently reaffirmed the domestic SA Rand currency claims paying ability rating accorded to LHMS, at A+ (single A plus). The rating is a reflection of a high claims paying ability and above average protection factors.