Anyone who will tell you that they do not need medical insurance is living under an illusion. Holding current and full medical insurance can almost be an obligation, not only to you but to your loved ones.

In South Africa and throughout the World, the health service has become increasingly pressed to supply a full range of medicines within their “basket”. This means that more and more people are obliged to pay for medicines from their own pockets.

For life threatening illnesses, particularly certain forms of cancer there are medicines available that, whilst they are not a cure, can harness the effects of this cruel disease and allow the patient a certain quality of life. Imagine the dilemma of brother, sister, mother, father or a child who has to witness their loved ones suffer and possibly pass away prematurely when it could have been avoided through taking out proper medical insurance.

In many cases, a person may need a particularly complicated operation, or even a transplant of a vital organ, such as a liver, kidney and going as far the most vital organ of all, the heart itself. There are many companies, dealing in medical insurance, who send their clients abroad in order to undergo these operations which will save their lives.

There is another aspect of medical insurance that many people are either unaware of, or simply take for granted. Medical insurance also takes care of people who have become severely disabled through old age or illness. These people can live on in a vegetative state for many years, and the costs, both financial and emotional, can tear families apart.

In the 21st century, medical advances are such that people are living longer and healthier lives, and attitudes have needed to be changed to adjust to this fact. There are diseases and afflictions that have become fairly common in the last decade particularly Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. People who contract these diseases do so late in life, and can live on for years, requiring round the clock medical attention.

All of these extreme cases can be covered by medical insurance and the financial burdens that they bring will be borne by the insurance company and not by the family. However in order to receive cover, the person taking out the insurance will be obliged to meet the criteria set by the insurance company, and sometimes they can be fairly stringent.

It is only common sense that a person who is applying for medical insurance be in good health. This means that the younger a person is when they apply for medical insurance; the better it is for all concerned. That is when the question arises “Do you need medical insurance?” And the answer has to be ” Maybe not today, but you might need it in twenty or thirty years”

Insurance companies have no moral obligation to insure everybody, and not under any circumstance. A person who walks through the door who bears all the physical characteristics of becoming chronically ill within the reasonable future, will find it difficult, if not impossible to be get medical insurance, and at any price.

The seeds for a long, healthy and comfortable life need to be sown as early as possible, with proper medical cover being an integral part of it. By making sure that you, and for that matter, your loved ones are covered; you are acting in a forward thinking and responsible manner. You do need medical insurance and now!