Overview

Liberty Medical Scheme (LMS), now a new entity created by the merger of Liberty Health Medical Scheme and Medicover Medical Scheme, means affordable, easy, hassle-free health insurance throughout South Africa and Africa. We are now the fourth largest open medical scheme in South Africa, and our range of nine product options allows our 85 500* principal members and their families to benefit from diverse medical plans, centred on their unique personal, family or professional health care needs. Liberty Medical Scheme is equally known for our genuine commitment to taking service and member satisfaction seriously.

* as at December 2009

Partnerships

Our interests encompass IT systems, employee wellness, medical risk management and healthcare administration – because with Liberty, health is about partnerships. We partner with healthcare professionals and world-class providers of health-related services, systems and products to create, combine and manage health programmes that work for our clients. This allows us to package health solutions for corporate groups, health organisations, administrators, governments and individuals.

Benefits

It´s important for you to know that your medical aid contributions bring peace of mind. As your health insurance service provider, Liberty Medical Scheme offers exceptional (option-based) benefits, including:

• Accidental trauma cover from day one, irrespective of any waiting periods or exclusions
• Cover for an extended list of day procedures
• Cover for preventative care to ensure early identification of potential risk factors
• No payment required for admission to hospital (terms and conditions apply)
• Cover for elective in-hospital dental procedures, like wisdom teeth extraction
• Generous cover for MRI Scans and CAT Scans
• Cover for both extreme and professional sports
• Treatment for HIV/Aids through Optipharm
• Recognition of previous cover for ex-pats and immigrants
• Supportive oncology cover for 12 months after undergoing active treatment
• Cover for rehabilitation and/or counselling that is required following a crime trauma

Click to compare option benefits, to download a detailed Member Guide or to explore our products.

Our strengths

Liberty Medical Scheme understands that, for you, peace of mind is everything. After all, in this world, you just never know what could happen. That´s why you need to be sure that you and your family are covered in line with your specific needs, without it costing an arm and a leg. Value for money is a big part of that – along with other factors, like quality, choice, service, resources and relationships.

Here are some good reasons to choose Liberty Medical Scheme (now incorporating Medicover):

• A choice of options to best meet your needs
• Affordability without compromise on quality
• Dedicated service and measurable delivery
• Innovative thinking, energy and high standards
• Leading technology in the form of Medware, South Africa´s most advanced healthcare IT system
• World-class managed care via South Africa´s leading health risk management company, VMed.

Our ethics

For Liberty Medical Scheme, providing healthcare is about more than just rands and cents. It´s about people and their wellbeing. And when dealing with people, there´s nothing more important than behaving with genuine integrity, honesty and trustworthiness.

In practical terms, this means that we:

• Conduct ourselves professionally and ethically
• Demonstrate an attitude of proficiency, competence and discipline
• Are transparent in all of our business dealings
• Comply with all of the applicable laws, legislation and regulations
• Strongly uphold and adhere to the approved Rules of the Scheme
• Take joint ownership for Board decisions
• Work as partners with those we rely on and those who rely on us
• Treat everyone as equal regardless of status, religion, gender or race
• Respect the confidentiality of Scheme business
• Remember that we are accountable custodians of members´ funds

Our value

The great benefit of partnering with the merged Liberty Medical Scheme is that you decide for you. You get to take control of your most valuable asset, your health, while we make it possible for you to actively manage your life as well. We do this with the help of empowered, proactive service staff members who go the extra mile for our clients; life stage-specific products; an informative website; and complexity made easy to understand. And then there are our brokers, who give you the advice and information you need to make the right decisions about the right medical plan; confident decisions that are best for you.

Our promise

Liberty Medical Scheme is about more than just covering your costs when you go into hospital, or visit a specialist, or buy medications for a chronic condition. We´re focused on the whole health-care experience, from the way we answer your telephone call to how quickly your medical claims are settled.

As such, we promise to:

• Give you health-related advice and information
• Assist you in getting better faster
• Do the things we say we will
• Provide the simplest answers to your questions
• Promptly return your calls and correspondence
• Educate you about the industry and why we do the things we do
• Keep in touch as regularly as possible
• Be adaptable to your needs and circumstances

Please click here to make contact with Liberty Medical Scheme, about a service query or issue.

The Board of Trustees of the Liberty Medical Scheme, incorporating Medicover

Mr LA Jacques, Chairman
Adv B Mkhize, Vice-Chairman
Mr DLC Pienaar
Mr RM Garland
Ms CM Kinsman
Mr A Edwards, Executive Principal Officer
Mr MM Mohohlo
Mr T Murasiki
Ms C Zazela

Mrs L Carstensen, Operations Manager
Mrs H Mackenzie, PA to Andrew Edwards
Mr K van Jaarsveld, Fund Manager
Mrs K Willemse, Assistant Fund Manager
Ms C Fourie, Secretary / Coordinator

The merger

Liberty Medical Scheme

On 1 January 2010, Liberty Health Medical Scheme (LHMS) and Medicover Medical Scheme (MMS) merged into a single medical scheme, known as Liberty Medical Scheme (LMS).

Liberty Medical Scheme

Approved by the Council for Medical Schemes, this merger represents a pooling of expertise from two major medical schemes in South Africa, and a strengthening of their position in the market. By combining the 2009 financial positions of both schemes, the medical aid solvency ratio will increase by over 16%, which is 13% higher than the 25% prescribed minimum.

A wider option range

In addition, the merged scheme translates into new efficiencies and a wider range of benefit options from which to choose. Although options have been streamlined, LMS offers a total of nine health options for singles, young families, mature families and executives, and continues to serve corporates through the Corporate Network and Bona Plus options.

Benefit improvements

The following significant benefit improvements have been made to the various options:

• Benefit limits on all options have been increased by 8.0%
• Medical Savings Facility benefits have been increased by an average of 10.6%
• Cancer–treatment benefits have been improved on all options
• Casualty and Crime Trauma benefits have been introduced on the Titan option
• The overall annual hospital limit on the Titan option has been removed
• The beneficiary limit in the overall annual hospital limit, per beneficiary on Bona Plus is now R860 000

Negotiation and admin

To make benefits go even further, LMS has also negotiated with Clicks and Pharmacy Direct pharmacies to provide cheaper chronic medication. At the same time, the combined administrative resources of the Medicover and Liberty Health Medical Schemes allow for dramatically enhanced services. In particular, this means that contact centre personnel are able to resolve member queries faster and more effectively than ever before.

Our promise

Liberty Medical Scheme is about more than just covering your costs when you go into hospital, or visit a specialist, or buy medications for a chronic condition. We´re focused on the whole health-care experience, from the way we answer your telephone call to how quickly your medical claims are settled.

As such, we promise to:

• Give you health-related advice and information
• Assist you in getting better faster
• Do the things we say we will
• Provide the simplest answers to your questions
• Promptly return your calls and correspondence
• Educate you about the industry and why we do the things we do
• Keep in touch as regularly as possible
• Be adaptable to your needs and circumstances

Please click here to make contact with Liberty Medical Scheme, about a service query or issue.