Integrated Shield Plan riders soon won't cover minimum deductibles

Effective from April 2026, the move by MOH aims to curb rising premiums

- Yap Wei Qiang Correspondent

To address rising insurance premiums and private healthcare costs, the Ministry of Health (MOH) is putting a stop to health insurance plans that protect policyholders almost “to the last dollar”.

New riders sold from April 1, 2026, will no longer be allowed to cover the minimum deductibles patients have to pay before insurance kicks in. This means those with private health insurance will need to pay at least $1,500 for any hospital stay within the policy year, before they can claim from their insurer. The Integrated Shield Plan (IP) deductibles payable could go beyond $3,500.

In addition, those on the new riders will need to pay a larger portion of their bills, as the co-payment cap on their maximum out-of-pocket cash will be doubled from the current $3,000 to $6,000.

As a result, new riders are expected to cost a lot less.

MOH said it expects premiums of new riders to be about 30 per cent lower than those of existing riders with maximum coverage.

This means that Singaporeans who opt for the new riders can benefit from lower premiums while still being protected against catastrophic medical bills, the ministry said.

The new requirements will also encourage prudence, as very comprehensive coverage can be very expensive, encourage “overservicing” and drive up healthcare costs.

In terms of actual cost savings, those who choose new riders that cover private hospital stays will see average savings of about $600 on their rider premiums each year. For those choosing public hospital riders, the annual savings will be around $200.

From now until March 31, 2026, the public can still purchase existing rider products, but will have to switch to new riders that meet MOH’s requirements once the policy is due for renewal from April 1, 2028. Sales of these existing products will also cease on April 1, 2026.