Bestmed Medical Scheme
Claimed Business
Bestmed Medical Scheme
Claimed Business
131 Reviews (last 12 months)
Does not respond to reviews
AI Review Summary
Based on recent customer reviews, Bestmed Medical Scheme faces severe criticism across virtually all service dimensions. Customers consistently describe a medical aid that is quick to collect premiums but deeply reluctant to pay claims or authorize treatment. While a handful of members praise individual staff and emergency PMB cover, the overwhelming pattern reflects broken communication, opaque claims decisions, aggressive membership terminations, and billing disputes that leave members financially and medically vulnerable.
Top Strengths:
- •Customer Service & Staff Quality: A small number of members praise named consultants like Boitumelo Ratakane, Thabang Latakgomo, Tiamo Maroga, and Megan Bezuidenhout for exceptional professionalism, follow-through, and genuine care.
Service Quality Ratings
MetricScoreIndustry AvgBest in Class
Performance(last 12 months):
0Trustindex Rating
#12Ranked In Medical Aid
59 hours 56 minutesAverage Time To Reply
-70 NPSRecommended: Unlikely
Replied to 88% of negative reviews
Typically takes less than 61 hours 49 min to reply
TrustIndex
0
Score
Ranking
#12
in Medical Aid
Avg Reply
59 hours 56 minutes
NPS Score
-70
Recommended: Unlikely
Replied to 88% of negative reviews
Typically takes less than 61 hours 49 min to reply
Review Distribution
1.4|131 Reviews
May '25 - Apr '26
5(7%)
4(1.8%)
3(1.8%)
2(1.8%)
1(87.7%)
5(7%)
4(1.8%)
3(1.8%)
2(1.8%)
1(87.7%)
Recent reviews (131)
Used this business recently? Share your experience to help others decide.
Used this business recently? Share your experience to help others decide.
Share Your ExperiencePopular mentions
MT
Mita T
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
16 Mar 2026, 07:57
Worst medical aid mxm
I moved to bestmed thinking i will hv peace of mind not knowing im creating stress an heart ache for my self yoh .paying so much money for the medical dat doesnt benefit me .i thought weh i choose beat 4 option il hv peace of mind but no nix .like dis medical aid is a nightmare for me the can not cover for my eye glases an i cn not live without my glases y do i hv to pay around R6000 for glases wen i hv a medical aid dat i thought will help with such things wen i go to simple chemist for counter to counter medication i hv to pay +- 200 levy depending on wat il be needing by dat time yoh i regret ever switching from bonitas to best med mxm
Helpful (0)
|Replies (0)MT
Mita T
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
16 Mar 2026, 07:57
Worst medical aid mxm
I moved to bestmed thinking i will hv peace of mind not knowing im creating stress an heart ache for my self yoh .paying so much money for the medical dat doesnt benefit me .i thought weh i choose beat 4 option il hv peace of mind but no nix .like dis medical aid is a nightmare for me the can not cover for my eye glases an i cn not live without my glases y do i hv to pay around R6000 for glases wen i hv a medical aid dat i thought will help with such things wen i go to simple chemist for counter to counter medication i hv to pay +- 200 levy depending on wat il be needing by dat time yoh i regret ever switching from bonitas to best med mxm
0
Replies (0)JS
James S
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
13 Mar 2026, 01:57
Non-admission | No response on complaints
All good and well until you need to be admitted to hospital and they decline the admission, when two lives are at risk. Happy to take contributions every monthly but unable to pay. Escalated to their “escalations” department well over a month ago now and they are calling a recalled email feedback. What feedback is this? They refuse to provide any updates because according to them they have given feedback.
Helpful (0)
|Replies (0)JS
James S
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
13 Mar 2026, 01:57
Non-admission | No response on complaints
All good and well until you need to be admitted to hospital and they decline the admission, when two lives are at risk. Happy to take contributions every monthly but unable to pay. Escalated to their “escalations” department well over a month ago now and they are calling a recalled email feedback. What feedback is this? They refuse to provide any updates because according to them they have given feedback.
0
Replies (0)JS
James S
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
13 Mar 2026, 01:49
Non-admission and no response to complaints
All good and well until you need to be admitted to hospital and they decline the admission, when two lives are at risk. Happy to take contributions every monthly but unable to pay. Escalated to their “escalations” department well over a month ago now and they are calling a reed email feedback. What feedback is this? They refuse to provide any updates because according to them they have given feedback.
Helpful (0)
|Replies (0)JS
James S
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
13 Mar 2026, 01:49
Non-admission and no response to complaints
All good and well until you need to be admitted to hospital and they decline the admission, when two lives are at risk. Happy to take contributions every monthly but unable to pay. Escalated to their “escalations” department well over a month ago now and they are calling a reed email feedback. What feedback is this? They refuse to provide any updates because according to them they have given feedback.
0
Replies (0)MR
Mariska R
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
9 Mar 2026, 09:27
Bestmed - misleading - *********** & unprofessional
Not of the best medical aids as advised by many! They pay peanuts towards consultations and hospitalisation which makes your bill higher to pay additional fees. The bestmed employees are so *********** and unprofessional they've litterly suspended my membership while payment has been made and activated that same day. In the same day of activation they've suspended it While Proof of payment has been shared. Communication to myself for adding a newborn has been misleading! Email correspondence takes days recently. Not of the very best! So disappointed for making use of them.
Helpful (0)
|Replies (0)MR
Mariska R
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
9 Mar 2026, 09:27
Bestmed - misleading - *********** & unprofessional
Not of the best medical aids as advised by many! They pay peanuts towards consultations and hospitalisation which makes your bill higher to pay additional fees. The bestmed employees are so *********** and unprofessional they've litterly suspended my membership while payment has been made and activated that same day. In the same day of activation they've suspended it While Proof of payment has been shared. Communication to myself for adding a newborn has been misleading! Email correspondence takes days recently. Not of the very best! So disappointed for making use of them.
0
Replies (0)SG
Sarel G
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
5 Mar 2026, 11:25
Poor Transparency and Unclear Claim Rejections
My experience with Bestmed has been extremely disappointing. Communication regarding rejected claims is unclear and often evasive. When I asked for a detailed explanation of why certain claims were declined, I did not receive a direct answer explaining the reasoning or the criteria used to make the decision. Instead, responses typically avoid addressing the specific question and provide general statements without clarifying the underlying logic behind the claim decision. I escalated the matter to senior staff, including the Head of Department and the complaints department. While I eventually received an apologetic response, the core issue—why the claim was rejected and what evidence or rules were used to make that determination—remains unanswered. Only after I indicated that I might approach the Council for Medical Schemes (CMS) for assistance did I receive further correspondence. However, even then, the response did not provide the technical reasoning behind the claim rejection. As a member, all I am asking for is transparency: What evidence was used to evaluate the claim? Which specific scheme rules were app****? Why does the scheme consider part of the claim outside the benefits? Without clear answers to these questions, the process feels opaque and unnecessarily difficult for members trying to understand their benefits. Below is part of the response I received from Bestmed: "We confirm that your complaint was discussed by the Medical Advisors during the weekly Clinical Advisory Committee meeting. After careful consideration of the matter in line with the scheme rules and funding guidelines, it was suggested that you contact the Council for Medical Schemes (CMS) for independent verification and guidance." In my view, members should not need to approach the regulator simply to obtain a clear explanation of their benefits. Based on my experience, I would recommend that potential members carefully compare alternatives before choosing Bestmed. I am personally considering moving to another scheme such as Bonitas, due to the ongoing difficulties I have experienced in obtaining clear and transparent claim explanations.
Helpful (0)
|Replies (0)SG
Sarel G
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
5 Mar 2026, 11:25
Poor Transparency and Unclear Claim Rejections
My experience with Bestmed has been extremely disappointing. Communication regarding rejected claims is unclear and often evasive. When I asked for a detailed explanation of why certain claims were declined, I did not receive a direct answer explaining the reasoning or the criteria used to make the decision. Instead, responses typically avoid addressing the specific question and provide general statements without clarifying the underlying logic behind the claim decision. I escalated the matter to senior staff, including the Head of Department and the complaints department. While I eventually received an apologetic response, the core issue—why the claim was rejected and what evidence or rules were used to make that determination—remains unanswered. Only after I indicated that I might approach the Council for Medical Schemes (CMS) for assistance did I receive further correspondence. However, even then, the response did not provide the technical reasoning behind the claim rejection. As a member, all I am asking for is transparency: What evidence was used to evaluate the claim? Which specific scheme rules were app****? Why does the scheme consider part of the claim outside the benefits? Without clear answers to these questions, the process feels opaque and unnecessarily difficult for members trying to understand their benefits. Below is part of the response I received from Bestmed: "We confirm that your complaint was discussed by the Medical Advisors during the weekly Clinical Advisory Committee meeting. After careful consideration of the matter in line with the scheme rules and funding guidelines, it was suggested that you contact the Council for Medical Schemes (CMS) for independent verification and guidance." In my view, members should not need to approach the regulator simply to obtain a clear explanation of their benefits. Based on my experience, I would recommend that potential members carefully compare alternatives before choosing Bestmed. I am personally considering moving to another scheme such as Bonitas, due to the ongoing difficulties I have experienced in obtaining clear and transparent claim explanations.
0
Replies (0)MB
Marcel B
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
4 Mar 2026, 19:36
Stay away from bestmed
They are a bunch of ******, my salary was late so the debit order didnt go off, they didnt inform me that it didnt go off, but just suspend me, they couldve emailed me and say pay today or else it will by seuspended, non of that just straight suspend, when I recieve the email that say it has been suspendid, I emediatly made payment. But they refuse to reactivaye my account. So payment is made imediately but account is still suspendid. How does that work?
Helpful (0)
|Replies (0)MB
Marcel B
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
4 Mar 2026, 19:36
Stay away from bestmed
They are a bunch of ******, my salary was late so the debit order didnt go off, they didnt inform me that it didnt go off, but just suspend me, they couldve emailed me and say pay today or else it will by seuspended, non of that just straight suspend, when I recieve the email that say it has been suspendid, I emediatly made payment. But they refuse to reactivaye my account. So payment is made imediately but account is still suspendid. How does that work?
0
Replies (0)TM
Tebogo M
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
3 Mar 2026, 15:36
Unhappy with Bestmed
I honestly dont get why Bestmed makes you wait a whole 4 months to refund you your unused medical saving and then ask you to submit a request at the begining of the 5th month only to make you wait another two whole week to give you your money honestly ridiculous.
Helpful (0)
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Tebogo M
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
3 Mar 2026, 15:36
Unhappy with Bestmed
I honestly dont get why Bestmed makes you wait a whole 4 months to refund you your unused medical saving and then ask you to submit a request at the begining of the 5th month only to make you wait another two whole week to give you your money honestly ridiculous.
0
Replies (0)SM
Siyethemba M
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
3 Mar 2026, 11:02
NO Response, When In Need Of Help
After joining with a consultant, they never respond to your emails when you try reach out with questions. I sent an email 3 January and up to this day 2 months later no response. I dealt specifically with a direct sales consultant named Valencia Ramohashi.
Helpful (0)
|Replies (0)SM
Siyethemba M
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
3 Mar 2026, 11:02
NO Response, When In Need Of Help
After joining with a consultant, they never respond to your emails when you try reach out with questions. I sent an email 3 January and up to this day 2 months later no response. I dealt specifically with a direct sales consultant named Valencia Ramohashi.
0
Replies (0)