Insurance policies to cover CCF stays, outpatient telemedicine amid 'circuit breaker'

WITH immediate effect, insurance policies with a daily hospital cash benefit will cover Covid-19 patients admitted to a Community Care Facility (CCF) or Community Recovery Facility (CRF) for up to 14 days after they are transferred from a hospital, the General Insurance Association of Singapore and Life Insurance Association, Singapore said in a joint statement on Tuesday.

This is on top of the government fully covering the costs of treatment and isolation of Singapore residents and long-term pass holders in CCFs and CRFs.

CCFs and CRFs are government-designated facilities set up to provide care to clinically well and/or stable Covid-19 patients until they are no longer infectious. Current locations include the Singapore Expo, Changi Exhibition Centre, D'Resort, as well as several Singapore Armed Forces camps.

The new rule is part of concerted efforts by insurers to provide additional support for policyholders amid the pandemic, and especially in light of Singapore's extended "circuit-breaker" period to June 1, the statement added.

The extended coverage will be in effect until the closure of the last CCF or CRF in Singapore, it said. A patient's subsequent stay at a CCF or CRF must be deemed medically necessary because he or she has been tested positive for the virus and cannot be discharged.

Benefits are subject to existing policy terms and conditions of the respective insurers.

In addition, outpatient telemedicine claims will now be covered under Integrated Shield Plans (IPs) and relevant group insurance plans, the statement said.

For IP policies, claims will be covered under the IPs' pre-hospitalisation and post-hospitalisation coverage.

Payouts for outpatient telemedicine claims will also be made under group medical insurance policies and other policies that provide coverage for physical outpatient consultations. Claims will be assessed and subject to individual insurers' policy terms and conditions.