Tag: Jill Larkan

The circular released on the 10th April 2020 by the Council for Medical Schemes (CMS) entitled 'COVID-19 Medical Schemes Industry Guidelines' outlines the relief measures which schemes may offer their members – individuals and employer groups – detailing what they can and can’t do to alleviate the economic suffering during this pandemic and lockdown period.

While people who contract COVID-19 (corona virus) who are under the age of 80 and do not have any pre-existing conditions - such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, hypertension or cancer - are most likely to experience only flu-like symptoms, those who are over 80 years’ of age or individuals with pre-existing conditions are certainly at a much greater risk.

It is, statistically, an inescapable part of life that our medical costs and expenses will rise considerably as we become older. Retirees who are drawing down fixed incomes must deal with escalating costs of medical aid and expense shortfalls, creating a significant challenge in coping with erosion of their income at a rate that outstrips the growth of their invested capital.