Private Health Insurance Costs?

[chinaman]

I am in the process of negotiating a package for a job in Singapore. I have to set up my own health insurance policy and have been offered a SGD3300 annual allowance for this. As a 40 year old male non smoker in good health with a 40 year old wife and 18 month old daughter is this likely to be enough? Also can anyone recommend a health insurance provider in Singapore?

Any help gratefully received!

[QRM]

We have upgraded our health insurance to an international version the whole family is covered for 800 a month, while it is expensive, it proved its self invaluable. Our recent experience were we had a bit serious medical emergency, while Singapore is good, the global expert for this emergency was in US. The local guy carried out 3 similar operations and would not let us talk to any of his previous patients, saying they are all on holiday, and midway through the consultation was busy arranging his golf game for the weekend. The US guy has done 800, and happy to give referrals of previous patients a few of them even being Singaporeans.

So our international insurance covered us for the whole op in the US, where as the local insurance would only allow locals to perform the surgery. The exact wording was if a local hospital is capable of carrying out the procedure then they will cover the local cost.

It would have been traumatizing knowing you could not use the best surgeon, because of the limitation on insurance cost. when you are dealing with life and death situations suddenly the extra cost of the premiums becomes almost irrelevant.

Bottom line is get the best you can afford and read the small print.

[ching]

QRM - would you mind sharing which company you got your international insurance from? Would be good to know for when we start looking..

[Strong Eagle]

Nationality matters a lot when it comes to cost... if you expect to travel to your home country and/or want repatriation insurance in case of cancer or other serious disease.

If you are American a good policy will cost you S$4,000 for a 50 year old guy... about 2/3 that if you are not American.

As for a place to start looking... try GoodHealth... worldwide brokers for several companies. I am not affiliated. I use them.

http://www.goodhealthworldwide.com/

[QRM]

A few people said the $800/m seem pretty cheap for international medical insurance. The $800 is a top up to the existing company policy in order to upgrade it to an international version.

The firm is GMCI insurance, they specialize in employers/employee insurance,

Theres a website specifically for international medical insurance
http://www.globalinsurancenet.com/gmc_services.htm

Try and get your insurance through your firm, the insurers are less likely to play silly buggers questioning claims, for fear of loosing a lucrative company account.

[jpatokal]

Bully for you if your employer is willing to foot the bill, but for the rest of us (esp. those of us who aren't American), I don't think it makes much sense to pay an insane premium to be able to access insanely expensive American healthcare. If Singapore's private hospitals can't deal with it, you're probably dead anyway.

For comparison, NTUC Enhanced Incomeshield "Preferred" is $391/year (40-50yo) and AXA Premier Care is $346-870 (36-40). Both of these are available to all and sundry; become a PR, and you can get subsidized insurance (eg. Aviva MediShield) for even less. Adding on good travel insurance for treatment outside/medevac to Singapore is under $400/year.

[chinaman]

Thanks for the advice folks. Have now looked at AXA Singapore and will check out GoodHealthWorldwide.

One more question if I may - what do you guys do about dental visits/dental insurance as EP holders and Dependants?