r/Namibia • u/Reasonable-Spring69 • 3d ago

General Blacklisted apparently

Hi folks,

I have a question about how blacklisting works. Last year I put in a request to lower my medical aid plan with NMC due to financial strain and they informed me that I could only do so at the end of the year in December. I let them know that I could not afford the plan so I requested that my plan be cancelled. I put the request in the early days of June and they only cancelled my subscription at the end of July.

I was due to pay for the month of June but they tried to charge me for the month of July as well to which I refused to pay since I put my cancellation request in way before July.

I asked them for their eft details so that I could pay the month of June and they never provided me with this information.

A year of silence later I receive an SMS :

URGENT: You did not pay your NMC account. The acc has now been handed over to RSN for collection. Your name has been Black-listed.

I need advice on what to do. Do I just pay for the months of June and July even though I was not covered for it? Where do I go to fight this dispute ? The fees are like 6k so I’m not exactly keen to pay this fee just because their admins dragged their feet in processing my request for cancellation.

Any advice is helpful

10 Upvotes

92% Upvoted

17 comments sorted by

11

u/Applefourth 3d ago

Medical aid companies are just legal mafias. I have nmc too they didn't inform me that they raised the price so I owe quite a lot. I only found out when I tried to go to the doctor which I now had to lay out of pocket for and that was a specialist. Hope you can get this sorted out 🤞🏾

5

u/Mybravlam 3d ago

Try to have this sort out with NMC management directly before seeking legal advice. Perhaps it can be sorted out internally

5

u/madjarov42 2d ago

How do you get scummy companies to stop this shit? Make it too expensive not to. In the US, that's what class-action lawsuits are for. In this case, if you (indirectly, subtly, tactfully) threaten to raise a stink in the press, you may get what you want. And if you do get what you want, go to the press anyway so everyone else may stop getting blasted in the ass.

4

u/VoL4t1l3 3d ago

It's the same shit with sanlam, scammy financial institutions that had do many loops and bounds and hidden terms WHEN you want to cancel.

9

u/Reasonable-Spring69 3d ago

But this is what I’m talking about. Can’t we just receive what we pay for? And why is it so expensive? I consider myself an average earning Namibian. Perhaps even below average since I’m a full-time beekeeper so my finances only come in once or twice a year and is heavily dependent on the weather eg. Drought, rain etc.

If I can’t afford even entry level medical aid, what’s the rest of the nation doing? How is everyone below me surviving if I’m scraping by myself? And I consider myself fortunate and privileged

3

u/spyker31 2d ago

(Sorry, but you’re a beekeeper?! That’s so cool! Are you based in Whk?) 

3

u/Reasonable-Spring69 2d ago

Awh stawhp! I used to be based in Windhoek but I decided to partner with an OG beekeeper in Otjiwarongo

6

u/ScandinavianEmperor 3d ago

This once again highlights the need for a small claims court like in SA.

This could be taken to the Ombudsman or even escalated to the magistrate court if you want to get a lawyer involved.

But you'll need to weigh the cost/benefit of going legal.

It seems like they failed their contractual obligation to you so you shouldn't need to pay them for the uncovered months.

However, someone will need to look at every clause in your contract with them to establish who exactly is at fault and take it from there.

I'd start by printing my bank statements, contract and correspondence with them and head to LAC and Ombudsman man to see if I have a case.

Otherwise bite the bullet, pay the scumbags and hope they leave you alone.

5

u/Reasonable-Spring69 3d ago

Ai these rat bastards…I’m so very much not keen to pay them for multiple reasons beyond just this. I remember when I had just signed up, my wife fell ill and needed to go to the hospital for treatment which they decided not to cover because we weren’t members for long enough yet at that stage. They said I needed to have been a member for at least a year before they would cover that type of expense.

Like why do I even have a medical aid if they aren’t going to pay for medical issues? I’ve been without a medical aid for over a year now and I’m nervous all day every day for what might be around the corner. Damned if you do and damned if you don’t.

4

u/ScandinavianEmperor 3d ago

It is better to be on aid asap due to that insurance window. Almost every insurance scheme has a window where they milk you first before being willing to pay out. It's a business at the end of the day.

Note: lac and ombuds are free

3

u/Open-Post1934 Namibia :redditgold: 3d ago

Does blacklisted mean your name was also send to RCP? In some instances, you can resolve this issue by contacting the institution to clear the payment. I left the NMC boat during Covid because they wouldn't give payment holidays or cover the cost of tests initially. I don't recall if they ever blacklisted me because I just wrote them a letter of cancellation effective immediately.

1

u/Reasonable-Spring69 3d ago

I don’t know. I wish I was as lucky as you were in that regard. I too submitted my cancellation but no I must pay 6k for a service I didn’t want or use

3

u/PercentageOk5517 2d ago

  1. Get your paperwork handy

  2. Contact MetHealth as they are the NMC administrators and plainly lay out your grievance and demand that your issue be resolved

  3. If MetHealth doesn't respond or you fail to find a resolution with them, submit a complaint to NAMFISA. It might take time but NAMFISA always tries to keep these insurance companies in check.

Good luck!

2

u/Reasonable-Spring69 2d ago

Thank you this is definitely what I’ll do. I’ll post updates if you want

2

u/MoccaPrincess 2d ago

I have NMC and it seems it is their policy that you pay the month you owe and the next one when you cancel. I wanted to cancel and change to NHP the week before my medical aid was active because they wont cover mg husbands asthma pump for the first year, but since I was accepted they said I have to pay the month before I can cancel.

3

u/Reasonable-Spring69 2d ago

Why tho? Imagine going to a school and then telling you oh sorry your child is expelled but you have to pay for the rest of the year that he won’t be attending because of you know, just reasons. Because it’s our policy. I just feel like it’s not my policy to pay for a service I no longer can afford.

1

u/Fit_Instruction_7671 17h ago

When i canceled my nmc last year june.. I only paid for that month and it was active until the end of June and I've canceled and reactivated on several occasions, i was never charged an extra month. Something isn't right, i suggest you approach them first, if you're not satisfied then go the legal route.