Zestlife prides itself as a leader in the gap cover industry. That’s because Zestlife offers top notch gap cover in South Africa.
Gap cover enables medical aid members to bridge the financial gap between medical aid tariffs and the final bills imposed by members of the medical profession.
But you have to sign up for a Zestlife Gap Cover policy!
The Gap Trap
Medical aid members are often unaware that shortfalls can exist in their medical aid cover, especially when it comes to treatments in a hospital.
While medical aids will state that they cover 100% of the costs involved with hospitalisation, what the public do not understand is that private practitioners and hospitals do not have to adhere to those tariffs.
In fact, medical aid members are often left with large shortfalls of up to five times more than what their medical schemes 
That is when Zestlife Gap Cover can help by paying the difference between medical aid tariffs and the final accounts submitted by specialists, anaesthetists and private hospitals.
So say goodbye to medical co-payments!
Also, medical aid members, irrespective of what schemes they join, can protect themselves from these crippling additional financial costs by choosing one of Zestlife’s Gap Cover options.
Zestlife Universal Gap Cover
The Zestlife Universal Gap Plan offers the most comprehensive medical expense shortfall cover along with extensive financial protection against a wide range of health risks.
Zestlife Essential Gap Cover
Zestlife Essential Gap Cover offers affordable cover for the most frequent medical expense shortfalls, along with additional financial protection for selected health risks.
Here are the respective premiums for the two plans in 2025:
Both gap options cover the principal medical aid member and family listed as medical scheme dependants.
- The cover is available to members of all SA medical schemes
- There are no restrictions on the number of children covered by the policy
Who Qualifies for Gap Cover?
- All members of SA registered medical schemes
- No maximum entry age restriction
- While single medical aid members under the age of 55 years enjoy lower monthly premiums
Gap Cover Benefits
Both the Universal and Essential Gap Cover options includes
- In-hospital cover for doctor and specialist charges up to 3 times (Essential Gap Cover) or 5 times (Universal Gap Cover) the amount paid by the medical scheme.
- Out-of-hospital cover for doctor and specialist charges up to 3 times (Essential Gap Cover) or 5 times (Universal Gap Cover) the medical scheme tariff.
- Medical scheme co-payment cover for hospital admissions, scans and certain surgical procedures.
- Emergency room cover for accidental injury.
- Accidental death and permanent disability cover.
- And also, trauma counselling cover.
In addition, Universal Gap Cover includes:
- Non-network co-payment cover.
- Enhanced cancer cover.
- Lump sum cancer cover.
- Internal prosthesis cover.
- Artificial joint cover.
- In-hospital dentistry cover.
- Accidental dentistry cover.
- Also, medical scheme and gap policy premium waiver cover.
Exclusions and waiting periods
The importance of reading the fine print in medical cover policies cannot be overemphasised.
There are some payment exclusions in all medical cover policies.
It also applies to Zestlife.
Just complete and submit the form on this page to get a free Zestlife quote fast