Relocation, insurance and pregnancy?

[twt7721]

My husband and I are considering relocating to Singapore from the US. Depending on my husband's employment situation we might have to look for our own insurance. I read however on this forum that no insurance will cover pregnancy unless you have been insured for the 10-15 months prior.

So would it be better to try and have baby #2 (we have a two-year old) in the US before relocating, or have the baby in Singapore?

I'm wondering what the costs would be out of pocket for all the doctors visits pre- and post delivery and for the actual delivery. And coverage for a newborn? (A lot of the numbers in other threads are a few years old.) It seems the standard of care between the US and Singapore isn't an issue.

I'm also looking for advice from young parents how tiring it is to move pregnant vs. with two little kids and then get set up, find help, a preschool etc....

Thanks!

[beppi]

Most medium to big sized employers here include health insurance in the package. It might cover spouse as well (sometimes with a small additional fee). If your husband's job does not provide this, you can get local health insurance (e.g. with NTUC Income) at very reasonable rates.
No local insurance covers pregnancy (which is not a sickness in their view), only some much more expensive international (or Expat) insurances do (after a waiting time).
Cost of birth is about S$6-10k, if no complications.

[singaporeflyer]

My husband and I are considering relocating to Singapore from the US. Depending on my husband's employment situation we might have to look for our own insurance. I read however on this forum that no insurance will cover pregnancy unless you have been insured for the 10-15 months prior.

So would it be better to try and have baby #2 (we have a two-year old) in the US before relocating, or have the baby in Singapore?

I'm wondering what the costs would be out of pocket for all the doctors visits pre- and post delivery and for the actual delivery. And coverage for a newborn? (A lot of the numbers in other threads are a few years old.) It seems the standard of care between the US and Singapore isn't an issue.

I'm also looking for advice from young parents how tiring it is to move pregnant vs. with two little kids and then get set up, find help, a preschool etc....

Thanks!

There is an insurance that covers pregnancy for foreigners in Singapore. If in case you want to avoid the 10-15 pre early registration then you must take the insurance policy for you and your spouse and it must be taken 3 months before pregnancy. The cost of the insurance per person per month if you are less than 30 years old is 300 SGD per person and it has a validity of 1 year inclusive of the 3 months quoted above. So it will be 300 * 2 * 12 per year. It covers upto 50000 USD world wide. It in an international insurance excluding certain parts of America and it includes coverage for pregnancy too.

Let me know in case you need more details about this.

[twt7721]

Thanks for the information so far.

To Beppi - is that cost for the delivery only or including prenatal and postnatal checkups? And if it does include postnatal, does that include the infant?

With the 15 day waiting period for a newborn, can I add the baby to the policy as new policy holder and circumvent that waiting period? I saw this mentioned in an old post by one person but haven't seen anything else on this.

To Singaporeflyer - if you have more information about this insurance package, I would appreciate it!

[singaporeflyer]

Thanks for the information so far.

To Beppi - is that cost for the delivery only or including prenatal and postnatal checkups? And if it does include postnatal, does that include the infant?

With the 15 day waiting period for a newborn, can I add the baby to the policy as new policy holder and circumvent that waiting period? I saw this mentioned in an old post by one person but haven't seen anything else on this.

To Singaporeflyer - if you have more information about this insurance package, I would appreciate it!

Actually I got this information from an insurance advisor for my use a month ago. Can I PM you his contact number in Singapore?

[Mad Scientist]

To Beppi - is that cost for the delivery only or including prenatal and postnatal checkups? And if it does include postnatal, does that include the infant?

If you go to any gynae in Mount Elizabeth Hospital or Thomson Medical Hospital or Kandang Kerbau Hospital.The first few visits are chargeable based on per visit. Once you signed with the gynae there is a package for you to choose. I based this on my sister who gave birth last year at Mount E
Standard Delivery $ 4 to $6K
Padeatrician : $2K
Epidural, forceps or C-section will add another $2K
So Beppi cost is just about right
Go and google to compare the charges involved

[beppi]

To Beppi - is that cost for the delivery only or including prenatal and postnatal checkups? And if it does include postnatal, does that include the infant?

In our case, this included everything from first pregnancy test to last vaccination for the baby after birth. We had a caesarean at Mt. Alvernia.
There are too many options, variables and possible complications to cover everything, but the vast majority of births in Singapore cost within this range (and, apart from a few highly paid Expats, nobody has an insurance for it).

[snowqueen]

All the hospitals have details about their maternity packages on their web sites - typically a natural can be $3-6k and $6-10k for a c section and this can vary depending on which hospital you choose.

I had to have a C Section, at Thomson Medical Centre and our bill was about $9.5k but this did not include the pre-birth visits to the OBGYN. The antenatal package was $700 and that included all my check ups and scans from 12 weeks to delivery.

As I'm O Negative, I had to have anti D injections and my baby had an enlarged kidney so had to have some additional scans not part of the package which cost $200 a time - I think we had 3 of those.

I was 3 months pregnant when we arrived in Singapore so couldn't get medical insurance and my husband's insurance policy is so bad it barely covers a band aid never mind maternity.

We are thinking about trying for the next one, still with no cover and as we are a bit more settled financially we are now in a position to save up for the big day!

[klitz]

I just signed up a new insurance plan from prudential. which covers pregnancy from 4mths up till after the child is born. mayb u'll like to call and chk with them?