What is the WELLTH Fund
Discovery Health Medical Scheme is making the biggest single investment in the long-term health of its members by introducing the WELLTH Fund in 2023. COVID-19 has had an extraordinary impact on the healthcare choices we make, with many people deferring their routine, preventative care during the past few years. At the same time, people have become more conscious of their health and wellness.
You and your family will have access to a once-off, additional risk benefit called the WELLTH Fund, offering up to R10 000 per family to empower you and your family members to understand and address your personal healthcare needs.
What does the WELLTH Fund cover?
The WELLTH Fund covers a comprehensive list of healthcare services to ensure that you are empowered to take specific action according to your individual health needs. This benefit is separate from and additional to the Screening and Prevention Benefit and will be available to all existing and new members of the Scheme.
The WELLTH Fund benefit is separate from and additional to the Screening and Prevention Benefit and will be available once per lifetime for all members and dependants who have completed their health checks. Your WELLTH Fund can be used for appropriate screening and prevention healthcare services up to your WELLTH Fund limit. Cover is subject to the Scheme's clinical entry criteria, treatment guidelines and protocols.
How we calculate your WELLTH Fund amount
The WELLTH Fund is a once-per-lifetime benefit available to every beneficiary on Discovery Health Medical Scheme. The value of the benefit is allocated according to size and make-up of each family on a membership.
R2 500 per adult
(>18 years old)
R1 250 per child
(> 2 years old )
Up to a maximum of R10 000 per membership
The WELLTH FUND is allocated per membership, and therefore once it is activated any person on the membership can make use of any portion of the benefit.
A Health Check is all it takes to unlock your WELLTH Fund
The WELLTH Fund is automatically activated once all members (2 years and older) have completed a Health Check. All Health Checks completed from 1 January 2022 onwards count towards unlocking the WELLTH Fund.
Remember, an annual *Health Check is covered in full for all members by the existing Screening and Prevention Benefit.
What is a Health Check?
A Health Check is a simple but helpful set of basic health screenings that are covered annually. A Health Check is performed at the point of care with finger-prick tests, where appropriate. Some of the screenings include:
Blood pressure
Blood sugar
Cholesterol or lipogram tests
Weight or body mass index (BMI) assessments
Non-smokers declaration (NSD)
Why should I do Health Check?
- To understand the health status of yourself and your family
- For early detection of any possible health risks, which allows for better treatment and management in the case of more serious conditions
- It is likely to lower your healthcare costs over time
- It helps to inform your doctor and other healthcare providers for more personalized and appropriate care
- It unlocks your WELLTH Fund!
Your Health Check results will show you how healthy you really are, and help you and your family doctor to decide the next best actions to take.
* Health check cover is subject to applied waiting periods. Please check your membership certificate for the terms and conditions that apply.
Complete an online Kids Health Review for your children
Children two years and older can complete either an online Kids Health Review or a Kids Health Check to unlock the WELLTH Fund. Complete the online Kids Health Review
Your health UNLOCKED!
Listen to the Your health UNLOCKED! Podcast with Gareth Cliff
Learn more about the WELLTH Fund
Unlock your WELLTH Fund by booking a Health Check today
You and your family can complete a Health Check at a provider near you:
Discovery Store
Visit your nearest Discovery Store.
Wellness network
Choose from hundreds of GPs and pharmacies in the Discovery Health Wellness Network.
Real stories from those who are making healthy choices
Stay on top of your game like Wayde van Niekerk with the WELLTH Fund
A Health Check changed Imraan and Nikash's lives. Watch how.
Imraan had a heart attack and stresses the importance of having a Health Check done in order to be more in control of your chronic conditions. Nikash tells of his journey of how a Health Check detected his hypertension.
WELLTH Fund testimonials
Discovery Health Medical Scheme member, Romy Pillay, used the WELLTH Fund to keep her family's health in check.
Discovery Health Medical Scheme Member, Siya Ngqeleni shares how the WELLTH Fund has helped him to better manage his and his son's health.
Tanny Mpetshawa, mom to a 5 year old boy, knows all too well about kiddies' health issues, which is why she was pleased to have the added cover of the WELLTH Fund.
True WELLTH is knowledge:
Understanding the WELLTH Fund
Understand how to unlock your WELLTH Fund and the comprehensive list of healthcare services available to you and your family.
| View More >>> | |||
Importance of screening
Early detection of any health risks ensures that you are empowered to take specific action according to your individual health needs.
| View More >>> | |||
Managing your health
Learn more about the regular checks you should do to better manage your chronic condition and improve your health outcomes.
| View More >>> | |||
Healthy living - starting today
Do you know what you need to do to be as healthy as you can possibly be? Here are tips to help you lead a healthier lifestyle.
| View More >>> | |||
Have a question? Check our FAQs!
Yes, the WELLTH Fund covers the following specific medical devices if they have a registered NAPPI code and are bought from a registered healthcare provider with a valid practice number (such as a pharmacy or doctor):
- Blood pressure monitors
- Glucometers
- Cholesterol monitors
- Peak flow meters
- Spirometers
It depends on which health plan you have.
Plan network rules apply for members on Smart and KeyCare plans:
- Members on Smart plans must use a Smart network GP for GP services covered by the WELLTH Fund.
- Members on KeyCare plans must use their allocated GP for GP services covered by the WELLTH Fund.
Members on all other plans may use a provider of their choice and do not have to use a network provider to be covered by the WELLTH Fund.
No, it will not. Claims paid from the WELLTH Fund will accumulate to the WELLTH Fund limit.
No, claims paid from the WELLTH Fund do not impact your Medical Savings Account or Above Threshold Benefit, where applicable. Consultations and/or therapy that are not covered by the WELLTH Fund will be paid from your available day-to-day Allied, Therapeutic, Psychology Benefit.
No, you cannot claim any medication from the WELLTH Fund.
Your WELLTH Fund is not yet active due to one or more of these reasons:
- You or some of the dependents (aged two and older) on your policy have not completed a Health Check in the last 12 months.
- Your healthcare provider has not yet submitted the Health Check to us.
- To book an appointment for a Health Check so you can unlock your WELLTH Fund, use the booking option on your WELLTH Fund dashboard.
- To book an appointment for any of the screening and preventative check-ups covered by the WELLTH Fund, use the "Find a Provider" functionality on the Discovery website or app.
- You can also use the WELLTH Fund Tool to guide you on which check-ups are recommended for you, based on your age and gender. From the recommended check-ups, you can then book an appointment with a healthcare provider near you.
Yes, children registered on the Discovery Health Medical Scheme policy who are younger than two can go for screening and preventative check-ups covered by the Fund, as soon as it has been unlocked.
Yes, if your child turns two before the expiry date of the WELLTH Fund, they will get the child allocation of R1 250 as soon as your WELLTH Fund is unlocked. The child will not be required to complete a Health Check in this case. Children who will still be younger than two at the time when the benefit expires will not get a rand amount allocated. However, you can still use your family's WELLTH Fund on health check-ups for them, if you wish.
Yes, new dependents added to a policy can use the WELLTH Fund, but your policy can only be allocated extra funds once your new dependent completes their Health Check.
If a dependent withdraws from the Scheme during the year, your WELLTH Fund will not decrease, but any member who leaves will lose access to the Fund and any remaining benefits.
Children who turn 18 before the expiry date of your WELLTH Fund will get the adult benefit allocation of R2 500 as soon as your WELLTH Fund is unlocked.
A Health Check is a simple but helpful set of basic health screenings that are covered annually. A Health Check is performed at the point of care with finger-prick tests, where appropriate. Some of the screenings include:
Blood pressure
Blood sugar
Cholesterol or lipogram tests
Weight or body mass index (BMI) assessments
Non-smokers declaration (NSD)
Please allow up to 24 hours for your WELLTH Fund information to update after you have completed your Health Check.
Also make sure that:
- All dependents aged two years and older on your policy have completed their Health Checks.
- All Health Checks for dependents on your policy were completed within the last 12 months.
- If you have children that are two years old or older on your policy, the main member can complete an online Kids Health Review instead of the Kids Health Check.
We can help you with notifying members on your policy that you cannot contact. Click here to log a request for us to help.
If you cannot go for an in-person Health Check and you are in South Africa, you can book a Health Check at Home. This service is available if you live in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town, and Durban. Book a Health Check with one of our nurses at home by clicking here.
It depends on which health plan you have.
Plan network rules apply for members on Smart and KeyCare plans:
- Members on Smart plans must use a Smart network GP for GP services covered by the WELLTH Fund.
- Members on KeyCare plans must use their allocated GP for GP services covered by the WELLTH Fund.
- Members on Smart plans must use an optometrist in the Smart plan network. Members on KeyCare plans must use optometrists and dentists in the KeyCare plan network.
Members on all other plans may use a provider of their choice and do not have to use a network provider to be covered by the WELLTH Fund.
If you are outside the borders of South Africa, you can go to a registered healthcare practitioner in that country, who can manually send us your Health Check results. These results will unlock your WELLTH Fund. Download the Health Check form here for your healthcare practitioner to complete.
The Health Check form must include your full name and date of birth, with the following Health Check results:
- Your blood pressure
- Your blood glucose
- Your cholesterol or lipogram
- Your weight assessment or body mass index (BMI)
Your healthcare professional must validate your Health Check by either signing or stamping the form, and confirming their or the clinic's details, where relevant. Please then send your completed form to healthchecks@discovery.co.za.
If you cannot complete your Health Check at one of our accredited healthcare providers, you can go to a registered healthcare practitioner who can manually send us your Health Check results, These results will unlock your WELLTH Fund. Download the Health Check form here for your healthcare practitioner to complete.
The Health Check form must include your full name and date of birth, with the following Health Check results:
- Your blood pressure
- Your blood glucose
- Your cholesterol or lipogram
- Your weight assessment or body mass index (BMI)
Your healthcare professional must validate your Health Check by either signing or stamping the form, and confirming their or the clinic's details, where relevant. Please then send your completed form to healthchecks@discovery.co.za.
- To maintain privacy rules and protect confidentiality, only the main member can complete the online Kids Health Review.
- Other adults on the policy can also complete the Kids Health Review if they have been given consent by the main member.
To give consent, the main member must log in to their profile on the website or app. Under the "Portfolio" tab, click on "Give user access"
When you join a medical aid with a pre-existing medical condition, there's a waiting period during which your claims won't be paid, even though you're paying your monthly premiums. But, you might have access to Prescribed Minimum Benefits, depending on your previous medical aid cover.
Once your medical aid application is completed, we'll let you know if a waiting period applies to you.
There are 2 types of waiting periods:
- 3-month general waiting period
- 12-month condition-specific waiting period.
Read more about waiting periods and late joiner penalties on our website.