THE Health Ministry has always wanted to avoid a "buffet" syndrome when it comes to private health insurance under the Integrated Shield (IP) scheme.
A buffet syndrome is one where policyholders over-consume health services, leading to outsized claims and insurance plans that eventually become unsustainable. Hence, to qualify as a product provider in the Shield scheme, insurers are required to design plans with deductibles and co-insurance components. These are portions of hospital charges that must...