Debated in Parliament on 2 Mar 2026.
Dr Wan Rizal asked the Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Minister for Health in respect of the new requirements on Integrated Shield Plan (IP) riders announced on 26 November 2025 to increase minimum co-payment and disallowing riders to cover the minimum IP deductibles, what other measures is the Ministry studying to safeguard the affordability of healthcare costs for residents.
The new requirements for Integrated Shield Plan (IP) riders aim to moderate the escalation of private healthcare costs. There are other measures targeted at managing healthcare costs, such as developing claim rules and enforcing on inappropriate claims, publishing benchmarks for hospital charges and private specialist fees, and more public education on insurance. Please refer to the response to Parliamentary Question Nos 1 to 4 for the Sitting on 24 September 2025. [Please refer to "Reviewing Regulatory Framework for Integrated Shield Plans and Assessing Practice of Pre-authorisation", Official Report, 24 September 2025, Vol 96, Issue 4, Oral Answers to Questions section.]
Most Singaporeans use public subsidized healthcare. The most impactful measures to ensure healthcare affordability are in healthcare financing – enhancing subsidies and MediShield Life coverage as costs go up. However, however healthcare is financed, it will translate into taxes, insurance premiums or out of pocket payments by patients, all of which the population ultimately bears. It is therefore crucial that healthcare financing policies are appropriately designed for the long term, so that they remain sustainable.
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