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How much do you pay without an Integrated Shield Plan?

Kelvin Tan
Jul 28, 2016
2 min read

With MediShield Life replacing MediShield from 1st Nov 2015, Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents including the very old and those who have pre-existing conditions will be entitled to better protection and higher payouts. Premium for MediShield Life will be pay for by funds in MediSave account and part of additional cost incurred may be utilize from MediSave.

Here is what to expect for an individual without an Integrated Shield Plan coverage:

Admission (Deposit is required)

Upon point of admission, the hospital will provide financial counselling based on estimated hospital bill, though final charges may differ from estimate. A deposit will be required for Class B2/C in the form of Cash, Credit Card, NETS or equivalent when MediSave account does not have sufficient fund.

For Class A/ B1 a deposit is usually collected even if MediSave is used to settle part of the hospital bill, based on the difference between total charges and maximum MediSave claim amount.

Hospitalized cost

Regardless of ward type, MediSave Life covers up to S$700 per day for hospital ward charges and up to a maximum of S$2000 for surgical procedures. With subsidy of 50% to 65% (depending on income) for Ward B2 and claiming from MediSave Life, the MediSave/ Cash portion of the bill could still work out to a sizeable amount.

Based on MOH cases for the period 1 Jun 2015 to 31 May 2016, the final bill after subsidy for a class B2 Ward for Stroke and heart bypass surgery works out to S$4,200 to S$13,7000 and S$6,700 to S$8,300 respectively. Factoring in MediShield Life claim, the cash/ MediSave portion will still amount to anything from S$3,000 to S$11,000.

As class B2 ward have no option of consultation or treatment by personal choice of doctor and lesser luxury (non air-con and 6 bedded with shared television), the bill will be significantly higher should one prefer B1 or even higher graded ward.

Here is what to expect for an individual with an Integrated Shield Plan coverage:

Admission (Deposit usually waived)

Most private insurer will offer a letter of guarantee that waives/ covers a portion of the deposit requirement.

Hospitalized cost

Assuming a final bill of S$20,000 after subsidy and MediShield Life claim:

A patient with an Integrated Shield Plan will just have to come out with a co-insurance of S$2,000 and deductible of S$3,500 payable via MediSave or Cash with the remainder covered by the insurer, compared to facing the full S$20,000 final bill.

Riders can be added to the Integrated Shield Plan to fully cover the co-insurance and deductible, leaving the policy holder to not have to fork out a single cent. Depending on the added rider, the policy holder may even receive daily cash benefit should he/ she choose to stay in a lower graded class ward.

The Final Say

While Integrated Shield Plan is payable by funds in MediSave account and can be taken up or cancelled at any point in time, applicants with existing conditions may face exclusion or even rejection by the insurer should the application be submitted after they are diagnosed with medication condition. It would be strongly recommend to take up an Integrated Shield Plan and associated rider when one is healthy.