Which screening checks keep women healthy? And, how does the WELLTH Fund help to pay for them?

Regular health checks are vital. Not only do they give you a baseline on how healthy you are, but doing them also gives you the opportunity to detect severe or chronic health conditions early on. Women who keep up with their health and wellness screening checks are doing an excellent job of investing in their long-term health. Now, through the WELLTH Fund, you have extra money available to use toward healthcare and screening checks.

Think of your WELLTH Fund as a once-off gift of money, to help you pay for important healthcare. You can use it between 2023 and 2024. It covers elements of your healthcare that you would usually pay for yourself or that would come from your Medical Savings Account (MSA). So, having access to the WELLTH Fund allows your MSA to last that much longer, as you only need to tap into it for screenings once you've used up your WELLTH Fund.

• The WELLTH FUND is a once-off, extra benefit available only from 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2024. This fund gives up to R10,00 per family (R2,500 per adult and R1,250 per child) for a range of health screenings and preventative care services. This is over and above what the Screening and Prevention Benefit covers.
• Doing a Health Check at a doctor's rooms, a pharmacy or a participating Discovery store (every member on the membership must do the Health Check) unlocks your WELLTH Fund. The Health Check covers your blood sugar, cholesterol, BMI and blood pressure checks. You won't pay for the Health Check. Your Screening and Prevention Benefit (a benefit that is separate from the WELLTH Fund) covers the cost of the Health Check.
• Visit our website for more information about the WELLTH Fund.

All Discovery Health Medical Scheme (DHMS) plans offer a host of screening and prevention benefits. These are covered by the scheme's risk cover and not from your day-to-day benefits (Medical Savings Account). These include screenings for certain cancers at set intervals, depending on your risk level.

While the Screening and Prevention Benefit covers the screening (or test), the actual cost of the consultation will usually come from your Medical Savings Account, if you have one. However, once you've unlocked your WELLTH Fund, the consultation cost will come from this extra pool of money until you use it up.

The Screening and Prevention Benefit has existed for many years and will continue to exist, while the WELLTH Fund is only available for a limited time (as described above).

Let's look at how the Screening and Prevention Benefit and the WELLTH Fund cover each of these screening checks:

Screening mammograms usually involve X-rays of each breast, which can pick up tumours you may not be able to feel.

Discovery Health Medical Scheme members are covered for one mammogram every two years, and we pay the cost of the mammogram itself from the Screening and Prevention Benefit. We pay the consultation cost from your Medical Savings Account. If your MSA is used up or you have a plan without an MSA, you must pay the consultation from your own pocket. If you are at high risk of developing breast cancer, you will be eligible for a yearly mammogram and possibly even an MRI. If you are younger than 40, you only need to go for a mammogram if you have a family history of breast cancer or feel a lump. You can discuss your risk and screening options with your doctor.

Breast cancer is one of the most prevalent cancers in women of all races in South Africa. According to the 2019 National Cancer Registry, one in 27 women are at risk of developing breast cancer. However, treatment for early-stage breast cancer is very effective, which is why it's so important to find the cancer as early as possible. This means you must keep up your routine mammograms.

To find out if you have a higher-than-average risk of developing breast cancer, use Discovery Health's MyBreastCancerRisk calculator.

A Pap smear looks for precancerous cells that might become cervical cancer if it is not treated. Discovery Health Medical Scheme members have cover for a Pap smear every three years. The human papillomavirus (HPV) screening tests for HPV (which is the underlying cause of most cases of cervical cancer) should be done every five years in place of a Pap smear. The Screening and Prevention Benefit covers both tests while the WELLTH Fund covers the cost of the consultation while there is money. If you've used up your WELTH Fund, your Medical Savings Account will cover the consultation if you have an MSA on your plan.

For those who have a high risk of cervical cancer (such as people living with HIV), we cover a yearly Pap smear and HPV screening every three years.

According to the HPV Information Centre, cervical cancer is the second most frequent cancer among women in South Africa and the first most frequent among those between 15 and 44 years old. Screenings for cervical cancer include HPV tests and Pap smears. Both tests are normally performed by a GP, nurse or gynaecologist using a speculum and special swab.

Colorectal or colon cancer is the third most common cancer among women in South Africa, according to the Cancer Association of South Africa. Concerningly, according to the Mayo Clinic, many people with colorectal cancer experience no symptoms in the early stages, which makes screening for this cancer vital.

Screening can be done in one of two ways:

Faecal occult blood test: This is a simple, non-invasive bowel cancer screening test that looks for traces of blood in the faeces. Members between the ages of 45 and 75 should go for this screening every two years. The Screening and Prevention Benefit covers this check, while the WELLTH Fund covers the cost of the consultation (while money last, and then your Medical Saving Account if you have one on your plan). High-risk members have access to extra colonoscopy screenings.

Colonoscopy: This screening procedure takes between 30 and 60 minutes. It allows your doctor to look at the inner lining of your large intestine (rectum and colon) by way of a thin, flexible tube called a colonoscope. This method of testing also helps to find polyps that may become cancerous with time, and can detect cancerous tumours in their early stages, before they spread. The Screening and Prevention Benefit also covers this screening check.

According to Thembisa - a mathematical model of HIV rates in South Africa - about 7.8 million people (13.2% of the population) were living with HIV in South Africa in 2022. An estimated 31% of women aged 25 to 49 were living with HIV.

The Screening and Prevention Benefit covers an unlimited amount of HIV screening tests, such as the Rapid, ELISA and Western blot blood tests, up to a maximum of the Discovery Health Rate.

The WELLTH Fund will cover the cost of the consultation while there is money, then your Medical Savings Account will cover it if you have one on your plan.

According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation of South Africa (NOF), one in three women in South Africa will possibly develop osteoporosis - a disorder in which bones become less dense and therefore more fragile and likely to break.

Several tests can be done to measure bone density, including a dual-energy absorptiometry scan (DXA or DEXA scan). In most cases, the spine and hips are scanned to determine bone density.

The NOF recommends bone density testing for:

• Women older than 65 years old
• Women who are menopausal
• Younger postmenopausal women
• Women between the ages of 50 and 69 who have a clinical risk factor for a fracture

Your WELLTH Fund covers bone density testing while it has money, then your Medical Savings Account will cover it if you have one on your plan.

Here are other important checks that women can have:

• Eye examination
• Skin cancer screening for high-risk individuals
• Lung cancer screening for long-term smokers
• Hearing checkup
• Heart consultation
• Dental checkup
• Mental health screening

Your WELLTH Fund will cover the test itself as well as the consultation (again depending on how much you have left in the fund). We will use the money in your WELLTH Fund towards whichever tests you have done first.

To check on your WELLTH Fund balance, go to the WELLTH Fund page and click on View your dashboard. You will be asked to log in.

Once you've logged in, you can see your total WELLTH Fund money available, how much you have used, and how much you still have.

When you go for screenings, you give yourself the best chance of detecting severe or chronic health conditions in their early states. This opens the opportunity for early intervention and preventing complications relating to late diagnosis. Doing this can improve your quality of life and longevity.

• Visit our website to find a healthcare provider to have your screening check done.