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Ministry of Health
Parliamentary QA

MANDATING SMC-REGISTERED PRACTITIONER SIGN-OFF ON INTEGRATED SHIELD PLAN PRE-AUTHORISATION AND CLAIM REFUSALS ON MEDICAL NECESSITY GROUNDS

3 November 2026

NOTICE PAPER NO. 1506

NOTICE OF QUESTION FOR WRITTEN ANSWER

FOR THE SITTING ON 3 NOVEMBER 2026

 

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament

Dr Haresh Singaraju

Nominated MP


Question No. 2305

To ask the Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Minister for Health (a) whether the Ministry has information on the number of Integrated Shield Plan (IP) insurers that have a Singapore Medical Council-registered medical practitioner sign off on every refusal of pre-authorisation or claim on grounds of medical necessity; (b) if so, how many of the seven insurers currently do so; and (c) whether the Ministry will consider making such sign-off a requirement for IPs.


Answer

            The Ministry of Health (MOH) does not track such information.

2            Insurers are expected by MOH and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) to uphold their contractual obligations. This includes assessing claims fairly, in accordance with their policy terms and conditions. For insurers who offer pre-authorisation of claims, it is typically via administrative arrangements that are not part of the policy terms. There is no requirement for insurers to have a medical practitioner sign off on refusals of pre-authorisation requests or claims on grounds of medical necessity.

3            Should there be disputes over specific claims or pre-authorisation requests, policyholders can take it to the Financial Industry Disputes Resolution Centre (FIDReC), an independent and impartial institution that assists with insurance-related disputes. MAS will also take action against insurers if they do not pay claims in accordance with policy terms and conditions or have unfair claims handling practices.