Forum: Verify IP claim eligibility before any procedure or treatment to avoid issues

We thank Mr Sia Cheong Yew for his letter “Puzzled by stance of insurance company” (July 30) and would like to clarify the matter at hand.

IncomeShield is an Integrated Shield Plan (IP), which is an optional plan with a MediShield Life component and an additional private health insurance component administered by Income Insurance.

For claims to be eligible under IncomeShield, they must be submitted to Income Insurance by a clinic, medical centre or hospital that is accredited to submit MediSave and MediShield Life claims.

In addition, the claims must be submitted through the e-filing system set up by the Ministry of Health. This requirement is in place to streamline claims processing and ensure consistency in how claims are handled. 

In Mr Sia’s case, the insurance representative had informed him that his preferred clinic was not accredited to e-file surgical claims under the MediShield Life scheme. The insurance representative also advised the clinic to inform Mr Sia of the same as his claim request would be impacted. 

As Mr Sia’s procedure was conducted by a medical institution that is not accredited for surgical procedures under the MediSave and MediShield Life schemes, his claim was not eligible under his IncomeShield policy.

We encourage all policyholders to check with their insurance representatives and preferred medical institutions about eligibility and payment options before undergoing procedures to avoid any IP claim issues.

Francis Mook
Vice-President
Life and Health Operations and Customer Care
Income Insurance Limited