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Should you wish to query your medical aid benefits or update your details, please click here.

Contact Details

Customer Call Centre:
0860 002 163

Private Bag X35
Claremont
7735

A recent outbreak of measles in the Western Cape has highlighted the critical importance of measles vaccination. Usually, children should receive their first vaccination at 9 months, followed by a booster shot at 18 months. The vaccination uses an inactive form of the virus that allows the body to build up antibodies, while not infecting the child. It is normal for around 25% of children to develop a mild fever and, in rare cases, a rash when they are vaccinated. This does not mean they have contracted measles from the vaccination.

Many mothers worry about the possibility of a baby who is younger the 9 months contracting the disease, but in most cases antibodies from the mother will protect the infant against measles during the first few months of life. (During this time measles vaccine is often ineffective as the vaccine virus may be killed by the maternal antibodies – it is for this reason that the vaccination is usually only given for the first time at 9 months.) During a measles epidemic, authorities will sometimes recommend that infants as young as 6 months be vaccinated, with a repeat vaccination at 9 months.

Children who have untreated tuberculosis should not have a measles immunisation. They need to wait until the treatment has started before being vaccinated.

Good dental care is a part of overall good health, and Liberty Medical Scheme covers a wide range of treatments and procedures to ensure healthy teeth and gums. Under out-of-hospital dental care, we cover crowns, bridges, metal-base partial dentures, treatment by periodontists and orthodontics for members 21 years and younger.

Our in-hospital dental care covers the removal of impacted wisdom teeth, apicectomies, and basic dentistry under general anaesthetic for children 7 years and younger. Members also have access to an in-hospital trauma benefit for cancers, facial fractures and congenital abnormalities (such as cleft lip and palate) for children that are born into the scheme.

Before you undergo any of the in-hospital dental treatment you will need to get pre-authorisation first. Ask your practitioner for the tariff code, tooth numbers receiving treatment and a letter motivating the procedure, and have these on hand before you call pre-authorisations on 0860 002 163.

Members on Platinum Complete and Titan need to call 086 687 1285 for pre-authorisation. We have contracted Dental Risk Company (DRC) to provide services to members on these options.

The in-hospital benefit for elective dentistry is available on all LMS options except Silver Focus.

Most medical schemes, LMS included, uses the NHRPL to determine how much to reimburse members. Depending on the claim and benefit option, we pay either 100% or 300% of the NHRPL, or Scheme Rate.

But it's important to remember that the NHRPL, although regulated, is a guide not a stipulation. This means that healthcare service providers can decide to charge more than the prices set out in the NHRPL.

This is why members sometimes have to pay over and above the Liberty Medical Scheme (LMS) reimbursement rate.

Let's take an example. The NHRPL may recommend a reimbursement of R1 000 for a particular medical procedure, but the doctor charges R2 500.

If your option states that we will pay 100% of the Scheme Rate for this procedure, it means we will only cover R1 000. In this case, you will need to pay the R1 500 difference. If you are on an option with a savings facility, your savings balance may be used to pay the difference. If your option states we will cover 300% this means we will pay up to three times the NHRPL rate, so the full R2 500 will be covered.

The option you have chosen determines the reimbursement, so use your member guide to assist you in determining. Remember to ask your service provider what rate they charge, and if possible, negotiate a rate that is aligned with your Scheme Rate. This will help you to avoid co-payment.

Review your option choice on January of each year to ensure that the option you are on, and the associated reimbursement rate, meets your needs and the needs of your family.

For your convenience you can now register with Clicks directmedicines and be informed each month when your medication is ready. You can then collect your medication, which will be packaged and waiting for you, in-store or you can have it delivered to your work or home.

To register for in-store collection, call 0861 444 405 and a consultant will take you through the process. If you'd like to have your medication delivered, send Clicks directmedicines your chronic prescription and medical aid details to:

As a Clicks ClubCard member you will still earn PlusPoints off your dispensing fee.

Registering your contact details on www.libmed.co.za gives you access to loads of benefits and tools. For example, a direct e-mail service allows you to send us a blank email in order to automatically obtain your personal details, recent claims history and recent contributions history, as well as a copy of your latest monthly statement and most recent tax letter. You can also access information via your cellphone.

But you need to make sure your contact details are registered with us first. Here's how:

Your children are your most precious cargo, which is why it's law that all children need to be secured safely when travelling in vehicles. Studies in the United States show that these child safety seats can reduce the need for hospitalisation by 69%, and it's estimated that 485 lives could have been saved in one year if all children had been secured in such seats.

Netcare 911, Liberty Medical Schemes' Emergency Medical Services provider, says that the safest place for all children under 12 is in the back seat, properly restrained in an approved and specially manufactured child safety seat.

These seats have been designed for children of all ages, to protect them from injury during a collision, a sudden stop, swerving or a door opening while the car is moving. Babies (up to the age of one year) should travel in the rear-facing position in an infant car seat and 'progress' to a forward-facing seat only when they no longer fit in the infant car seat.

Adult seat belts have not been designed for children of different sizes, weights and body proportions, and are therefore not suitable for babies and children. Only when your child's eyes are level with the top of the back seat of the car or your child weighs 26kg or more, will they be ready to use a seat belt. Make sure that the lap belt fits low over the body part of the hips, and not the stomach. The diagonal sash should never touch the child's face or neck.

Netcare 911 also cautions parents against sharing a seat belt with a child or transporting a child on a passenger's lap. Children should never stand between the front and back seat or lie down in the back window of the car. Never leave the straps or harnesses of a child's car seat undone.

When choosing the right child restraint, use the child's weight and age, and the positions of the straps as a guide. Always follow the manufacturer's instructions when installing a restraint and placing a child in it.