A hospital cash plan is not medical aid. That distinction is the most important thing on this page, and confusing the two is expensive. Absa’s fraud hotline is 0860 557 557.
ContactDetails.co.za is an independent directory and is not Absa.
What a hospital cash plan actually does
It pays you a stated cash amount for each day you spend in hospital. The money comes to you, and you may spend it on anything.
What it does not do is pay your hospital bill. It is not a medical scheme, it does not cover doctors, surgery, scans or medicine, and it will not satisfy a hospital asking for admission cover.
- A medical scheme pays healthcare providers and is regulated under the Medical Schemes Act, with prescribed minimum benefits it must cover.
- A hospital cash plan is an insurance product that pays a fixed daily benefit to you. There are no prescribed minimum benefits.
- Being admitted with only a cash plan means the bill is yours. The daily payout will rarely approach the cost of a private admission.
If someone sold you a cash plan describing it as medical aid, that is a mis-sale. It is a specific and recognised complaint.
Questions to ask before buying
Is this a medical scheme or an insurance policy? Ask it plainly and get the answer in writing. Then ask what the daily benefit is, what the waiting periods are, and what is excluded, particularly for pre-existing conditions.
Complaints about a medical scheme go to the Council for Medical Schemes. Complaints about an insurance policy, including a cash plan, go to the National Financial Ombud Scheme, free of charge, once the provider’s process is exhausted.
| Absa fraud hotline | 0860 557 557 |
| Report phishing | [email protected] |
Numbers were read from absa.co.za on 25 August 2026.