S1E148: Should you buy a health insurance rider, downgrade your old rider or drop it?

About this episode

The episode discusses the changes in Singapore's health insurance landscape and the implications for existing and new policyholders.

Navigating Singapore’s evolving health insurance landscape. Synopsis: Every first Wednesday of the month, The Straits Times helps you make sense of health matters that affect you. The rules for Integrated Shield Plan (IP) riders changed on Apr 1, 2026. New mandates from the Ministry of Health mean that riders that offer nearly full coverage can no longer be sold. They have been  replaced by plans that require higher out-of-pocket costs in exchange for lower premiums. These new riders promote greater accountability in controlling escalating healthcare expenses.  If you have an existing IP rider, you might wonder if  you should "grandfather" your current plan, switch to a new one to save on premiums, or perhaps do without one? If you are just starting your healthcare journey, you need to understand why MOH is removing deductible coverage and doubling the co-payment cap from $3,000 to $6,000. In this episode, host Joyce Teo engages with a private sector surgeon and a health economist to discuss the new landscape of health insurance,  how to think about your future healthcare needs, and the crucial role of personal responsibility. The guests are Dr. Tan Yia…

People in this episode

Host: Joyce Teo

Guests: Dr. Tan Yia Swam, Dr. Akshar Saxena

Topics covered

• health insurance
• Integrated Shield Plan
• healthcare costs
• personal responsibility
• Singapore healthcare

Keywords

• health insurance rider
• deductible coverage
• co-payment cap
• healthcare expenses
• premium savings

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Singapore Medical Association, Nanyang Technological University

Places: Singapore

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