GEMS offers its members specific care programmes to help manage various chronic diseases and conditions.
The benefits of being on a disease management programme include:
- Healthcare advice and support by the GEMS Personal Healthcare support team and qualified nurses to help you better manage your health or chronic disease. The qualified nurses may call you to provide more in-depth healthcare education about conditions such as asthma, diabetes, mental wellness or cardiovascular management and will send you easy-to-read information on any of these conditions.
- Added support to the relationship with and care you receive from your doctor.
- Assistance to comply with the treatment prescribed for your condition.
Members on the Onyx option need to keep the following in mind:
- There is a specific Ruby, Emerald and Onyx (REO) Network which is made up of general practitioners (GPs) who have agreed to charge the Scheme rate and follow the managed care rules applicable to the GEMS Network relevant for these options.
- You do not have to use a REO Network GP, but if you do, you will not have to pay any out-of-pocket expenses for your consultations.
- If you need to go to hospital, it is important to remember that GEMS members need pre-authorisation for all hospital visits, out-patient visits to a hospital, MRI scans, CT scans or radio-isotope studies, in-hospital physiotherapy, ambulance transportation and specialised dentistry.
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What medication does GEMS pay for (Formulary)?
Comprehensive formulary
You can also visit the Formulary Check service to conduct a search.
What does GEMS not pay for?
Click here to see what GEMS does not pay for.
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Benefits 2013 ›
Download the Benefits schedule for 2013
Cost of membership for 2013
Contributions (how much you pay each month to be a member of GEMS)
As always, GEMS aims to bring you the best possible healthcare benefits to suit your needs. Offering you more choices is what our commitment to you is about.
The contributions in the table below do not include employer subsidies. In some cases, you might qualify for a subsidy from your employer. A subsidy is an amount your employer pays towards the cost of being covered by GEMS. If you qualify for a subsidy, the employer will pay a portion of the contribution each month and you will pay the rest. You must find out about the subsidy from your employer.
If you have any questions about your subsidy, you should discuss them with your Human Resources (HR) Department. A useful contribution calculator will help you to work out your monthly contributions, if you are employed in the public service.
| Salary Band | Member
| Adult | Child |
R0 – R9 195
| R2 368 | R1 684 | R704
|
| R9 196 - R19 595 | R2 464 | R1 744 | R764 |
| R19 596 + | R2 660 | R1 900 | R852 |
Note:
Salary column:
This reflects the monthly salary amount before tax or other benefits are deducted.
Member column:
This column shows how much the principal member, who is the public service employee registered with GEMS, has to pay.
Adult column:
This oclumn shows how much you have to pay for your adult dependants.
Child column
This column shows how much you have to pay for a child dependant. GEMS covers children up to the age of 21, unless the child is mentally or physically disabled or is below 28 years of age and is a full-time student registered at a recognised educational instutution.
Contribution statements
We send a contribution statement to members who owe money to GEMS on a monthly basis. We also send a contribution statement to all members on a quarterly basis. The contribution statement sets out your monthly contribution payment and any money that you owe to GEMS. This statement helps you to check that your contributions are always up-to-date.
Managing arrear contributions
You might be behind in your payment to GEMS if any of the following happen:
- Your employer has not deducted your monthly contribution costs from your salary. This might happen if you move between departments.
- Your salary increase was backdated and this increase moved you into a higher contribution category.
- You added a dependant and we did not take account of this change in time for the next payment.
- Your contract ended and your new contract was not active in time for the next payment.
GEMS will send you a letter confirming the amount that you owe us. You will also receive a monthly contribution statement if your payments are behind.
If you need help with paying the contributions you owe, please contact the Scheme or ask your HR Department to help you with the repayment terms.