\n<\/p>\n
From Apr 1, 2026, new riders will no longer be allowed to cover the minimum plan deductibles, as part of measures to address rising private healthcare costs.<\/p>\n
Currently, policyholders with riders must co-pay at least 5 per cent of their bills, with insurers setting a co-payment cap of no less than S$3,000 (US$2,300) per year.<\/p>\n
This cap will be raised to a minimum of S$6,000 per year for riders sold from April 2026 to \u201ckeep pace with the increase in bill sizes over time\u201d, said the Health Ministry. The current minimum 5 per cent co-payment requirement will remain unchanged.<\/p>\n
These changes will only affect new policyholders who need riders to go to private hospitals, said Mr Ong.<\/p>\n
Singapore is addressing this issue so that in the long-term, it can avoid a \u201cbig influx\u201d of patients moving from private healthcare to public options, he added.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs it is, public health care runs 80 per cent of the hospital beds in Singapore, catering to 90 per cent of the patients. So I think we need to arrest this trend.\u201d<\/p>\n
Singapore has rolled out several other measures to tackle the problem, including a major review of Medishield Life, strengthening segments of public healthcare subsidies and introducing benchmarks for hospital fees and professional fees, he noted.<\/p>\n
The government has also started taking enforcement action against the \u201csmall proportion\u201d of doctors and surgeons who set their fees inappropriately, said Mr Ong.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I think we cannot run away from the last piece of the jigsaw puzzle, which is that insurance also plays a part, and therefore we’re making these changes to new IP rider policies.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n