SINGAPORE ONE OF THE BEST HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS IN THE WORLD
Singapore has one of the best health services in the world. The quality of care is irreproachable in both the public and private sectors, however the health costs will be up to the level of excellence.
This is why health insurance will be essential in Singapore.
An international health insurance plan adapted to expatriates will cover all your needs, not limited to hospitalization costs, and with guarantees and reimbursement levels adapted to the country. Do not hesitate to answer the questions below to receive offers of expats health insurance in Singapore.
Some Singapore Healthcare And Insurance Data
How Is The Singapore Health System ?
How Works The Singapore Social Security ?
Expat Health insurance in Singapore
Some Singapore Healthcare And Insurance Data
| Table Header | Table Header |
|---|---|
|
Ranked |
2nd best healthcare system |
|
Consultation with a general practitioner |
100 SGD |
|
Public hospital care |
9,600 SGD |
|
Private hospital care |
20,800 SGD |
|
Annual indexation |
+ 9,3% |
|
Number of insurers |
15 |
|
CFE reimbursement rate |
31% |
How is the Singaporean health system?
Ranked among the best health systems in the world, Singapore is a figure of excellence, both in terms of its health establishments and its specialists. It is also easy to find doctors who speak English on site, and sometimes even in your native language (French, Italian, German, etc.).
Healthcare is far from free in Singapore, even with the establishment of a universal coverage system, but this is only available to citizens and permanent residents. The country has long relied on reasonable and responsible consumption of health by including contributions and deductibles that can be high.
For permanent non-resident expatriates or with an employment pass, self-employed or spouses without activity, it will not be possible to count on local social security, despite very high prices.
Be careful, however, if you are eligible for the local “MediShield” health system, only coverage of your hospitalization costs and certain health costs (such as dialysis, cancer, transplantation) is provided. Other costs such as dental, maternity, doctor or pharmacy costs will be your responsibility, so it is necessary to take out insurance to be reimbursed to a good extent. There are 9 private hospitals and 14 public hospitals in Singapore, which makes Singapore one of the best supplied areas per square meter and per inhabitant. The rate varies according to 3 variables: location, type of room and status (resident or non-resident).
The quality of the public system is very good and the care is as good as in the private service, the only difference comes from the care provided there. The public service focuses mainly on emergencies and hospitalizations, which is why the delays are very long. Public hospitals are not necessarily up to Western standards, there are 8-bed dormitories (class C), the 4/5-bed room being classic. Private care is recognized to be among the best in Asia (with Hong Kong) and many wealthy Asians do not hesitate to come to Singapore to find care that they cannot find elsewhere. But you will pay a high price / expatriate, health insurance is essential.
There are many private clinics where the prices are very high but generally a consultation with a general practitioner will cost you on average 50 SGD in the public and 100 SGD in the private.
For an appointment with a specialist it will be on average between 80 SDG in the public and 150 SGD.
Things get more complicated, however, in the event of examinations, more complex treatments or hospitalization, especially for expatriates who do not have access to the state-subsidized price. The prices are then free and can be very high. High-end expatriate insurance is therefore essential. An expats health insurances in Singapore is highly recommended.
Here is an idea of the prices charged at Raffles Hospital, a top-of-the-range establishment: 1 day of hospitalization in a classic private room (A room) costs 668 SGD, a Suite will cost between 919 SDG and 5,888 SDG.
The private room (A) will cost 480 SGD per day (930 SGD in intensive care), while a 5-bed room (B) will cost from 83 SGD to 295 SGD (or 218 SGD to 930 SGD in intensive care).
728 SGD for a single room, 340 SGD for a semi-private room (with 2 beds), or 276 SGD for a 4-bed room. You will have access to a private suite from 1,238 SGD, depending on the state of your finances.
Between 600 SGD and 1,100SGD on average. An implant with a crown will cost between 3,100 SGD and 5,300 SGD.
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At Expat Medicare, we support our clients in their search for expat health insurance in Singapore. Do not hesitate to request a quote from our team of experts
Click HereHow work the Singaporean social security ?
Singapore created a few years ago the “3M” system around which revolves the entire local health system. The term 3M stands for Medishield Life – MediSave – Medifund, in addition to private insurance, all this can be quite complex for expatriates to understand. In addition, this mandatory system only covers Singaporean citizens and permanent residents (with a permanent visa, Work permit or Spass employer).
Medishield Life
Medishield Life is compulsory, it does not exclude any existing pathology (but applies a 30% rate increase during the first 10 years in the event of ALD) and has no age limit.
Its main objective is to finance the most expensive costs: For example hospitalization and certain serious illnesses (cancer, dialysis, transplantation, psychiatry).
However, this does not cover current medical costs (outpatient), nor optics, dental or maternity.
To have access to it, the insured must pay a contribution depending on the income bracket and age + a deductible (from 1,000 SGD to 3,000 SGD per person) + co-insurance (from 3% to 10%) + co-payments (fixed sum) as well as excess fees.
However, the coverage ceiling is set at 100,000SGD per year and per person, which is low for Singapore. It is a “participatory” system that aims to empower policyholders.
There is also a difference in subsidy, on a C room for example, high income will only be subsidized up to 65%, while a more modest person will be able to claim 80%.
Medisave
MediSave is used to complete the coverage of MediShield Life, all members have an account financed by compulsory contributions directly deducted from salaries (between 8% and 10%).
This system, managed by the Central Provident Fund (CPF), makes it possible to cover out-of-pocket costs and deductibles for health costs not covered by MediShield Life. This system also works for the family of the insured. Please note, this still does not cover current medical costs either, only costs related to hospitalization or maternity.
Medifund
This fund is intended exclusively for the poorest and in no case applies to health costs incurred in the private sector.
Expat Health insurance in Singapore
Local insurance in Singapore
There are also local private insurance companies that can manage both Medishield Life and MediSave, a kind of complementary, also called “Integrated Shield Plans”. They are generally take by your employers for you and your colleagues but can also be taken by you directly , including by a non-permanent resident expatriate. More than 75% of Singaporeans use these local insurances, but they have a big problem with the volatility of contributions with huge increases from one year to the next. They are at least very effective for locals who have access to state-subsidized prices, in fact the ceilings are too low for optimal use for an expatriate.
International and expats health insurance in Singapore
Expats health insurance in Singapore, called also 1st € or $ insurance, can therefore be easier to use for a foreigner, they can cover more important guarantees than local insurance such as everyday medicine, maternity, optics or dental, and often has much more competitive prices.
There are also for the French and recently for Europeans and members of the EEA solutions in addition to the CFE
More information in this article.
The CFE will cover your expenses incurred in Singapore, but it will only be a first basis for reimbursement, which will reimburse according to the % of reimbursements provided for zone 4 (CFE).
In the context of hospitalization, it will only take 31% of the bill in charge, for your pharmacy bills it will be 45%. For a medical consultation, she will reimburse the lump sum of €17.50.
This is why a complementary CFE is essential to access optimal reimbursements. Complementary reimburse the pro rata between the reimbursement of the CFE and the total price of the care.
This solution is one of the best value for money available on the market, as well as one of the most stable solutions. The CFE can take care of you without a health questionnaire and without age limit.
How to find the best expats health insurance in Singapore ?
The easiest way is to call on insurance professionals. They will be able to answer your questions while saving a lot of time and sometimes making great savings.
At Expatmedicare we put our expertise to the benefit of our customers, throughout the life of the contract, in order to guarantee the best guarantees adapted to our customers as well as the best service.
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