Integrated Shield

THRIVE NEWSLETTER

Hospitalisation insurance 101 and how the new rules change things

[SINGAPORE] If you’ve been keeping up with headlines, chances are, you’ve stumbled upon “Integrated Shield Plan” and something called a “deductible” in your news feed. 

Singapore's hospital bed crunch is set to ease. Between 2025 and 2030, another 13,600 beds will be added to the healthcare system.
MIND THE GAP

Should you drop your Integrated Shield Plan? This health scare offers insights

A HEALTH scare that my husband suffered last month surfaced some perspectives on why a significant number of people, particularly seniors, may consider giving up their Integrated Shield Plans (IPs).

If you are satisfied with a subsidised public hospital, there is no need to buy an Integrated Shield Plan as your MediShield Life would be sufficient.

What the new Integrated Shield riders imply

The latest changes are a step forward in helping to shift the unhealthy behaviours of medical consumption

Riders, which are paid fully in cash, are optional add-ons that reduce out-of-pocket costs by covering deductibles and co-payments.

‘Don’t be Fomo’, wait for clarity on revised premiums before renewing IP riders: advisers

Under the revised rules, premiums for new riders are expected to fall by about 30%

Existing policyholders will not be affected, and insurers may continue selling riders under the current regime until Mar 31, 2026.

MOH scraps full-deductible IP riders to tame rising private healthcare bills

The co-payment cap, which applies after the deductible, will also double to S$6,000

The median bill size at private hospitals has risen by an annual compounded growth rate of 11.5%, from S$9,100 in 2019 to S$15,700 in 2024.
COMMENTARY

IP rider changes: Yet another stab at dampening claims and improving insurers’ results

For policyholders, this means less coverage of a hospital bill, though rider premiums are expected to be 30% lower

Riders are optional add-ons to an Integrated Shield Plan. They are meant to reduce one's out-of-pocket costs when making a hospital claim.
BT EXPLAINS

New IP rider rules: What stays, what goes, and how it affects you

MOH hopes removing riders that fully cover the deductible will maintain ‘cost discipline’ and reduce unnecessary admissions, tests and overnight stays

If insurers need to make a course correction, they should apply their new rules/premiums to new policies.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR

The Integrated Shield Plan is broken

I REFER to the article, “For Integrated Shield Plan insurers, raising premiums should be a last resort”. (BT, Jun 24) But as the French would say, it’s “au contraire”.

Great Eastern's temporary suspension of pre-authorisation certificates for two Mount Elizabeth hospitals is symptomatic of overcharging among private hospitals.
THINKING ALOUD

For Integrated Shield Plan insurers, raising premiums should be a last resort

Insurers should take a hard look at internal and external costs, including management and distribution expenses

A more mindful approach to healthcare consumption has been cited as a way to ensure long-term sustainability and affordability for all policyholders.

Surge in claims drags some Integrated Shield insurers into the red; higher premiums expected

As medical costs rise, there is ‘no choice’ but to raise rates to allow for a price buffer, says market watcher