If you've run out of money in your medical savings account (MSA), you're in good company. And it may be time to rethink the amount of money you set aside for day-to-day medical expenses.
But it doesn't necessarily mean you'll have to fork out for all your day-to-day medical expenses until next year. Many schemes give some benefits to members once they've depleted the funds in their MSAs.
About 40% of members of Discovery who have MSAs have negative balances at this time of year. Dr Ryan Noach, the deputy CEO of Discovery Health, which administers SA's largest medical scheme, says this is consistent across all options that come with an MSA - namely the Executive, Comprehensive, Comprehensive Delta, Priority, Saver and Saver Delta options.
Victor Crouser, the head of health (coastal) at Alexander Forbes, says it's common for members to run out of funds in their MSAs during the course of the year.
Whether or not you use an MSA to fund your day-to-day benefits should be a factor you consider when choosing a medical-scheme option, says Crouser.
"Most people don't have the self-discipline to save for health-care expenses such as doctor visits, medicines, glasses, dentistry, et cetera. A savings account effectively forces you to set aside some money," he says...