PUTTING IN ENOUGH SCREEN TIME?

Schedule Those Health Check-Ups!

There’s screen time, and then there’s screening time, and while we fully appreciate how much you love a binge-worthy series, right now, we’re talking about the latter.

Keeping your health screenings up to date is often highlighted as one of the most important steps you can take at any age – for yourself, your family, and even your medical scheme membership (we’ll explain). This proactive approach can offer benefits that far outweigh the effort involved.

What do we mean? Well, while you might think that the time you have to spend going to have a check-up is time you don’t have right now, consider that keeping regular tabs on your health might just be the greatest ever investment since early detection of potential concerns gives you a head start on sorting them out and a much higher chance of a longer and healthier life. Good for you and those you love, right?

And yes, it’s also good for your medical fund membership because, like all our other valued members, OMSMAF belongs to you. That means that as a combined whole, the financial wellbeing of the Fund and all its members can only stand to benefit when all members get proactive about preventative care. It’s a win-win all round.

Reckon you’re too young, fit and healthy to start screenings? Keep reading because every adult needs to have a holistic picture of their healthcare numbers to keep their wellbeing on track at every stage of life, just as you need to know your budget to maintain financial wellness from the outset.

Fortunately, you are an OMSMAF member, so you are quite literally covered when it comes to the full range of comprehensive health screenings. In fact, we take health screenings so seriously that we pay for the services specified below from your risk benefits – not your day-to-day (or PMSA) limits – and these screening tests are available to all members and their dependants across all of our options! Sound like a good deal?

PLEASE REMEMBER to ask your provider to always use the ICD 10 code Z00.0 for all wellness tests.

  • Back-to-basics:

Know your wellness numbers by visiting the clinic sister at your nearest pharmacy for blood pressure, blood glucose, BMI, cholesterol, and HIV tests. Why not set an annual reminder to do it in April or May and get your flu vaccine and pneumococcal vaccine at the same time?

  • Women’s health checks:

Ladies, don’t put yourself last. All female beneficiaries have access to crucial Pap smear, Syphilis and Chlamydia infection screening at either their GP (paid at 100% of MSR) or a Gynaecologist (paid at 200% of MSR). While there, take the opportunity to request a referral for a mammogram and bone density test to be done at a radiology practice and discuss your contraceptive options and prescriptions. OMSMAF has also recently increased the age limit on the HPV vaccine to 26 years to help decrease the cervical cancer risk for our members and their daughters.

  • Men’s health checks:

Guys, it’s time to step up! All male beneficiaries can visit either a GP (paid at 100% of MSR) or a Urologist (Paid at 200% of MSR) for a PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) test.

  • Kids’ health checks:

Got a little mini-me running around at home? We’re here to help you take care of your children too, with cover for all routine immunisations, prevention of dental caries, a school readiness assessment, and a hearing screening with an audiologist.

  • Dermatology visit:

Living in sunny South Africa means you take particular care when it comes to skin cancer screenings. Beneficiaries 35 years and older can visit a Dermatologist (paid at 200% of MSR) every 2 years for a cancer screening consultation. Even those with darker skin tones should make use of this benefit – skin cancer can affect anyone.

  • Colorectal screening:

An annual colorectal screening (by means of a faecal pathology test) is strongly advised from the age of 40 to detect and treat any potentially serious concerns early on.

  • Health Risk Assessment:

Delve deeper into the picture of your health – the Fund will cover the cost of a Health Risk Assessment, carried out at a wellness day event, or by a healthcare provider during your single wellness consultation for the year. This includes a height, weight and BMI calculation, a waist circumference measurement, and  lifestyle risk factors such as smoking and alcohol consumption. Don’t panic- it’s for the best possible cause, namely, your health!

  • Nutritional Assessment and Healthy Eating Plan

Don’t miss out on this brilliant benefit, designed to tailor your daily diet to your nutritional needs in a way that will actually make sense for you. Let’s connect you with a contracted Dietician and get you started – please just be sure to contact OMSMAF on 0860 100 076 for pre-authorisation first.

AGAIN, PLEASE REMEMBER to ask your provider to always use the ICD 10 code Z00.0 for all wellness tests.

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