Integrated Shield

Integrated Shield insurers post stronger results in 2025, but recovery may be fragile

IHH Healthcare owns the Mount Elizabeth, Gleneagles and Parkway brands, which account for 60 to 70 per cent of private hospital IP claims.

IHH Healthcare partners some Integrated Shield insurers to rein in private hospital bills

LIA Singapore says in Q1 2026, 5,507 individual life policies were claimed, resulting in total payouts of S$555 million.

Singapore life insurers pay out over S$5 billion in Q1, the highest for quarter since 2021

Mount Alvernia is now the sole not-for-profit private hospital, but a new one is in the pipeline. It will be a welcome option for those who want more affordable private care.
MIND THE GAP

Shedding light on IP challenges: medical-cost inflation and thin margins

The new riders mean higher out-of-pocket expenses for you when you are hospitalised.

New Integrated Shield riders: Should you make a switch?

Singapore's falling birth rate and the rise in the proportion of those aged 65 and older do not bode well for IP insurers' risk pools.
THINKING ALOUD

Demographic trends challenge IP insurers’ sustainability

With the new-design riders, you may need to tap more of your CPF Medisave account to cover a larger share of your hospitalisation bill.
MONEY MATTERS

A framework for thinking about the new Integrated Shield riders

While out-of-pocket costs may increase, insurers say that they remain predictable and manageable.

New IP riders kick in with lower premiums, but higher out-of-pocket costs

The Integrated Shield Plan market has struggled for years with rising premiums and poor profitability, as rising medical inflation and an ageing population have driven up claims.

Some IP insurers hike premiums of base plans for private hospital and A-class wards

BT
THRIVE NEWSLETTER

Hospitalisation insurance 101 and how the new rules change things