INSURANCE CLAUSES REFUSING COVERAGE FOR CORRECTIONS OF MEDICAL PROCEDURE COMPLICATIONS NOT OBSERVED IN INTEGRATED SHIELD PLAN POLICYHOLDERS CONTRACTS

NOTICE PAPER NO. 1109
NOTICE OF QUESTION FOR WRITTEN ANSWER
FOR THE SITTING OF PARLIAMENT ON 04 AUGUST 2026

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament
Mr Yip Hon Weng
MP for Yio Chu Kang

Question No. 1756
To ask the Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Minister for Health (a) whether insurance clauses refusing payouts for corrections of medical procedure complications or errors are allowed in consumer insurance contracts; (b) if so, whether this has been observed to result in healthcare providers practising defensive medicine for complex issues and high-risk patients; and (c) whether the Ministry will regulate such clauses, given their potential impact on MediShield and CareShield Life.

Answer

1               We have not observed such clauses in Integrated Shield Plan (IP) policyholder contracts. Where patients require additional procedures to manage complications arising from a prior medically necessary treatment, insurers will generally cover them.  However, private insurers may include clauses that stipulate that providers who have been found to have been involved in malpractice, medical negligence or fraud, waste and abuse cases are not allowed to seek reimbursement from insurers or patients for any corrective procedures they carried out to rectify the initial problem. This will prevent passing of these costs to patients and policyholders in such specific and rare circumstances.

2               MediShield Life provides universal coverage for all Singapore residents, and pays for corrective treatments and procedures, even if it is in correction of earlier medically necessary procedures. CareShield Life is a separate scheme that pays out in the event of severe disability, and is not impacted by such clauses.