title: Private medical schemes: dental claims during 1989 and 1990.
abstract: In this investigation, claim patterns of members of 6 private medical aid schemes were studied. The number of members per scheme, the maximum benefits per member, the number of members with no claims, the age distribution of members with no dental claims and the percentage of total paid out per discipline are shown. The percentage of principal members who made no dental claims from these 6 medical schemes ranged between 53.6 - 75.5 per cent in 1989 and between 67.1 - 85 per cent in 1990. In this article we seek possible explanations for these unexpected findings.
authors.affiliation: Department of Statistics, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, South Africa.
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Blignaut
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Dreyer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003729:Dental Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005102:Health Expenditures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007344:Insurance Claim Reporting / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007347:Insurance, Dental / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D013019:South Africa