Understanding the Role of Private Health Insurers in Singapore
                     Understanding the Role of Private Health Insurers in Singapore 
Singapore has an expensive medical system, despite the government placing many rules to keep the 
cost of medical treatment to the minimum even in private hospitals. However, it is wise to take private 
Singapore health insurance if you wish to get the best possible treatment and comfort in private 
hospitals.  
The private insurers provide additional coverage along with the government-provided MediShield Life. 
These are known as the Integrated Shield plan which rides on the basic MediShield plan. However, 
this is available only to citizens and permanent residents. When researched in the year 2017, 68% of 
citizens and permanent residents had MediShield Life.  
The benefits offered by different Integrated Shield Plans are different and you can choose a 
customised plan that suits your requirements. Individuals who have ISP can also purchase insurance 
riders which provide additional coverage. These riders are beneficial if you wish to avail of a yearly 
deductible or zero co-payment.  
You can buy Medisave with the premiums for Medisave with some rules and limitations. But you 
cannot pay a premium for these riders with Medisave. There has been a rise in private hospital 
insurance claims in the past few years. This is the reason that private insurance companies have opted 
to increase the premiums for their Integrated Shield plans. 
In order to prevent the overuse of services and overcharging, the government of Singapore has rules 
that the new ISP riders should have a co-payment of at least 5%. Some private insurers also offer 
options that are not associated with MediShield Life. Premiums for these options cannot be paid with 
the help of Medisave. 
In fact, not just the government, but also some private employers also provide benefits to their 
employees. This is especially beneficial for the workforce in Singapore who are not citizens or PRs. The 
private Singapore health insurance providing companies also take care of these non-Singaporeans.