One-off Extension of Hospitalisation Insurance Policies to Cover Elective Surgeries Postponed due to COVID-19
Prime Minister's OfficeSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns Ms Sylvia Lim’s inquiry on whether the government would advise healthcare insurers to provide a one-off policy extension for elective surgeries postponed due to COVID-19. Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam replied that MediShield Life coverage remains unaffected by deferments, while most Integrated Shield Plans and employer-based policies are renewed annually, ensuring continued coverage. For policyholders unable to renew private plans, the Monetary Authority of Singapore has directed insurers to treat claims fairly if postponements resulted solely from pandemic restrictions. Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam advised individuals to discuss claims with insurers or appeal through their Members of Parliament or the Monetary Authority of Singapore. He emphasized that the postponement of elective surgeries should not result in any loss of health insurance coverage for policyholders.
Transcript
17 Ms Sylvia Lim asked the Prime Minister whether the Government will advise healthcare insurers to provide a one-off extension of hospitalisation policies to cover elective surgeries that have been postponed due to the COVID-19 circuit breaker restrictions.
Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam (for the Prime Minister): Due to COVID-19, many elective surgeries were put on hold since February this year. The Ministry of Health has announced that from 2 June, medical procedures for patients with higher needs will resume, while the less urgent elective medical procedures may continue to be deferred.
The postponement of elective surgeries should not result in any loss of health insurance coverage for policyholders. All Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents are covered under MediShield Life for the lifetime of the policyholder, and will not be affected by the deferment of the surgeries.
As for those who have taken on additional health coverage. These include Integrated Shield Plans (IPs), other types of individual medical expense plans, and employer-based group medical expense policies. These policies are typically renewed every year, either by the individual or the employer, which means that coverage under these policies will also not be affected by the deferment of surgeries.
However, there may be some instances where the policyholder does not, or is unable to, renew a private health policy, and hence coverage is affected by the postponement of the elective surgery. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has informed insurers of its expectations that they treat customers fairly and consider these claims favourably if the postponement of these procedures was solely due to COVID-19. Policyholders are advised to approach their insurers to discuss the circumstances of their claims. If that fails, they can appeal through their Members of Parliament or directly to MAS.