<\/p>\nchanges to private health insurance<\/p>\n
<\/a> kick in.<\/p>\n
The new requirements will see those on new Integrated Shield Plan (IP) riders sold from April 1, 2026, shouldering a higher proportion of their hospital bills.<\/p>\n
Surge capacity planning is incorporated into infrastructure design to ensure healthcare systems can adapt to unexpected demands. In the past, such measures have included converting designated spaces in public hospitals to take in more patients, for instance. <\/p>\n
Acknowledging the short-term impact on the public healthcare system \u2013 with individuals on new riders possibly choosing to seek care at public hospitals to reduce their co-payment \u2013 Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said in Parliament on Jan 12 that his ministry will be monitoring it closely.<\/p>\n
He reiterated the ministry\u2019s efforts in expanding public healthcare capacity, both in terms of hospital beds and outpatient capacity, as well as recruiting more manpower to deal with the increasing needs of the ageing population.<\/p>\n
The trend of private patients moving to the public system is \u201can additional fuel to the fire that we are facing\u201d, he added. <\/p>\n
MOH announced in November 2025 that new IP riders sold from April 2026 will no longer be allowed to cover the minimum IP deductibles set by the ministry, meaning patients on the new riders have to pay at least $1,500 before insurance coverage kicks in.<\/p>\n
The co-payment cap will also be doubled from the current $3,000 to $6,000, which means those on the new riders will need to pay a larger portion of their bills.<\/p>\n
This is part of efforts to mitigate the shift of patients from private to public healthcare, by putting the private healthcare sector and health insurance on a more sustainable path and ensuring private care remains accessible to Singaporeans in the long term, he said.<\/p>\n
Half of those who buy IPs for private healthcare end up seeking subsidised care in the public healthcare system.<\/p>\n
Mr Ong also highlighted that over the past years, there was a \u201cdiscernible shift\u201d of patients away from the private sector, into the public sector.<\/p>\n
The proportion of patients in the public hospitals has grown from 85 per cent in 2010, to 88 per cent in 2020, and now reached 90 per cent.<\/p>\n
Dr Hamid Razak (West Coast-Jurong West GRC), an orthopaedic surgeon who was from the public healthcare system, said his former colleagues in restructured hospitals have had \u201clots of sentiments\u201d about the changes in rider requirements.<\/p>\n
Waiting times for subsidised patients have already been increasing, and the situation may worsen if those on private riders switch to public healthcare after cost-sharing goes up, Dr Hamid added.<\/p>\n
In response, Mr Ong said he is \u201cequally concerned\u201d, and assured those working in the public healthcare sector that the ministry is closely watching wait times and capacity adequacy, and placing much importance on the healthcare workers\u2019 well-being.<\/p>\n
He reiterated that this was the reason the Government is making the move on IP riders. While some patients preferred to seek care in public hospitals which offer more medical disciplines and more holistic care, Mr Ong said one of the key reasons was the escalating cost of private healthcare, which had in turn been fuelled by IP riders that provided overly generous health insurance coverage.<\/p>\n
This has led to a greater tendency for over-servicing and over-consumption of healthcare services.<\/p>\n
For the past three years, private hospital IP rider premiums have been growing at an annual average rate of 17 per cent, double that of the base IP premiums.<\/p>\n
This has led to about 100,000 policyholders cancelling or downgrading their IP rider policies each year.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn short, the current design of IP riders may no longer make financial sense for many policyholders, and this change will help redress the situation,\u201d said Mr Ong.<\/p>\n