3 Best Integrated Shield Plans and Riders in Singapore (2024 Edition)

With hospitalisation and medical coverage being a core pillar of insurance coverage, do you know how an Integrated Shield Plan work? No doubt, upgrading your MediShield LIFE should be a top priority, but are you getting the most suitable plan?

Lifetime premiums of Private Hospital Coverage Comparison across all insurance companies

Ministry of Health (MOH) has recently tabulated a lifetime premiums comparison for Private Hospital coverage across 7 insurance companies. Let’s take a look at how much each insurers differs for their premiums. Source: 

Interestguru.sg has shortlisted the Best 3 Integrated Shield Plan in the market and has provide a comprehensive breakdown of why the plans below offer the best value for your money

• Best Integrated Shield Plan/ Rider for overall coverage – HSBC Life Shield and HSBC Life Enhanced Care
• Best Integrated Shield Plan/ Rider for affordability – NTUC Income Enhanced IncomeShield and NTUC Income Classic Care Rider
• Best Integrated Shield Plan/ Rider for entire family coverage – Singlife Shield and Singlife Health Plus
  
  

This list of the 3 Best Integrated Shield Plan is updated as of 26/09/2024

How are the Best Integrated Shield Plans assessed?

For all the Integrated Shield Plan reviewed below, we based our opinions on the plan options:  

• Features and benefits for stay up to Private Hospital (You can still choose to stay in government or restructured hospital)
• The insurance premium for partial coverage of Co-insurance and Deductibles (Paid by the insurance company)
• Unique plans features (Features exclusive to a specific insurer)

Note: The upgrading of your MediShield LIFE with an Integrated Shield Plan is meant to cover your medical and hospitalisation expenses.

For the types and amount of insurance coverages you required, refer to our financial planning guide: How much insurance coverage do you need?

*IMPORTANT: From April 2023, all existing policyholders of ISP riders that cover co-insurance and deductibles 100% will be converted to the co-payment scheme upon policy renewal.

Best Integrated Shield Plan for Overall Coverage – HSBC Life Shield and HSBC Life Enhanced Cover

HSBC Life Shield is one of the Integrated Shield Plan which has the most attractive premiums. Based on the total lifetime premiums tabulated by MOH, HSBC Life Shield is one of the lowest, yet, having the most attractive features among all its peer. What we like most about HSBC Life Shield is they only have one type of rider for each Private and Restructured hospital, straightforward and easy to understand!

• Affordability of premium: 4/5
• Product Features: 4.75/5

   

Major Features and Benefits of HSBC Life Shield and HSBC Life Enhanced Care:

• Planned overseas treatment capped at S$50,000 per policy year (This is different from emergency overseas treatment).
• Outpatient benefit for fractures, dislocations, sports injuries, dengue fever. hand, foot & mouth disease and food poisoning
• Preferred consultation fees with a wide network of panel healthcare service providers, including General Practitioner
• Covers 180 days of pre-hospitalisation treatments and 365 days of post-hospitalisation treatments
• Cancer drug treatment of up to 23x the MediShield Life’s claim limit
• 24/7 Letter of Guarantee (LOG) hotline.  A pre-assessment of your claim will be done by HSBC Life in 3 working days. Once approved, a Letter of Guarantee (LOG) will be issued to the hospital and you will not have to worry about the hefty hospital bills when you are discharged.
• Policy year Limit: S$2,500,000
  
  

Read about: HSBC Life Shield

Read about: HSBC Life Enhanced Care

Best Integrated Shield Plan for Affordability – NTUC Income Enhanced IncomeShield and NTUC Income Classic Care Rider

We love NTUC Income Integrated Shield Plans and rider(s) for their competitive premium pricing. Despite their recent increase in premiums to cope with the rising claims figures, NTUC Income Enhanced IncomeShield and NTUC Income Classic Care Rider have one of the lowest insurance premiums in the market. Any financial adviser worth his salt would know NTUC Income Shield Plans has always been the lowest over the years.

• Affordability of premium: 4.75/5
• Product Features: 3/5

   

Which rider should you choose for NTUC Income Enhanced IncomeShield?

There are 2 types of Integrated Shield Plan Riders offered by NTUC Income

• Deluxe Care Rider
  • 5% co-payment capped at S$3000 per policy year for Panel Doctors
  • Cancer drug treatment of up to 10x the MediShield Life’s claim limit
  • Annual premium for a 40 year old: S$973.94/year
• Classic Care Rider
  • 10% co-payment capped at S$3000 per policy year for Panel Doctors
  • Cancer drug treatment of up to 10x the MediShield Life’s claim limit
  • Annual premium for a 40 year old: S$479.40/year
    
    

We would highly recommend the Classic Care Rider due to lower premiums, though the co-payment percentage for Classic Care Rider is higher, but it is still capped at $3000 per year, which means your liability for your hospitalisation is still capped at S$3000/year.

Major Features and Benefits of NTUC Income Enhanced IncomeShield and NTUC Income Classic Care Rider:

• Affordable premiums as compare to its peer. (We are not talking about Deluxe Care Rider)
• Covers 180 days of pre-hospitalisation treatments and 365 days of post-hospitalisation treatments
• Policy year Limit: S$1,500,000
• No coverage for planned overseas treatment
• No coverage for post-hospitalisation TCM treatment
• No frills kind of policy, covering the essentials of a hospitalisation
  
  

Read about: NTUC Income Enhanced Incomeshield

Best Integrated Shield Plan for Entire Family Coverage – Singlife Shield and Singlife Health Plus

Among the 3 on the list, Singlife Shield and Singlife Health Plus is the priciest option and also the most complicated Integrated Shield Plan among its peers. Singlife Shield has also recently up their game, they was previously having the lowest coverage for Cancer Drug Treatment, which is 5x the MediShield Life’s claim limit, now, with the rider, the cancer drug treament limit is now 20x the Medishield Life’s claim limit! To make it even better, they do provide a S$15,000 coverage per month coverage for Cancer Drug Treatment NOT on the CDL.

• Affordability of premium: 3.5/5
• Product Features: 4.2/5

   

What are the riders available for Singlife Shield?

There are 2 types of Integrated Shield Plan Riders offered by Singlife Shield

• Private Prime Rider
  • 5% co-payment capped at S$3000 per policy year for Panel Doctors
  • Lump-sum payout of S$10,000 for critical illnesses per lifetime
  • Cancer drug treatment of up to 15x the MediShield Life’s claim limit
    
    
• Private Lite Rider
  • Annual deductibles applies
  • 5% co-payment capped at S$3000 per policy year for Panel Doctors
  • Lump-sum payout of S$10,000 for critical illnesses per lifetime
  • Cancer drug treatment of up to 15x the MediShield Life’s claim limit

     

Major Features and Benefits of Singlife Shield and Singlife Health Plus:

• Planned overseas treatment pegged to Private Hospital charges (This is different from emergency overseas treatment).
• Additional cancer coverage including proton beam therapy treatment as well as cell, tissue and
  gene therapy, and preventive treatment
• Policy year Limit: S$2,000,000
• Covers 180 days of pre-hospitalisation treatments and 365 days of post-hospitalisation treatments
• Covers up to 24 inpatient pregnancy complications
• Free Child coverage (Up to age 20) if both parents are under Singlife Shield Plan
• Free New Born benefit (Up to 6 months old)
• Lump-sum payout of S$10,000 for critical illnesses per lifetime
• Letter of Guarantee (LOG) waives up to S$80,000 of hospital admission deposit
  
  

How does the free child coverage work?

When both you and your spouse take up the following:

• Integrated Shield Plan: Singlife Shield Plan 1 or 2
• Free Coverage for Child: Singlife Shield Plan 2, up to Age 20, up to a maximum of 4 children

Read about: Singlife Shield

Read about: Singlife Health Plus

Thinking of switching to another Integrated Shield Plan?

Do note that despite the increase in premium due to claims, switching to another Integrated Shield Plan provider is unrealistic if you have any pre-existing medical conditions. Pre-existing medical conditions, will results in exclusions from the new Integrated Shield Plan provider. Furthermore, the newer integrated Shield Plan provider will likely reject your application for their Integrated Shield Plan rider.

This is one of the many reasons why we believe an Integrated Shield Plan is a top priority. A pre-existing medical condition usually results in exclusion clauses or even outright rejection on an Integrated Shield Plan rider.

Which is the best Integrated Shield Plan for you?