{"id":8793,"date":"2023-07-19T01:50:00","date_gmt":"2023-07-18T17:50:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dollarsandsense.sg\/business\/?p=8793"},"modified":"2023-07-19T01:55:31","modified_gmt":"2023-07-18T17:55:31","slug":"mandatory-medical-insurance-coverage-for-foreign-workers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dollarsandsense.sg\/business\/mandatory-medical-insurance-coverage-for-foreign-workers\/","title":{"rendered":"Mandatory Medical Insurance Coverage For Foreign Workers: What Are The Minimum Requirements For Work Permit (including Migrant Domestic Workers) And S Pass Holders"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The advent of the pandemic has heightened the need for accessible and affordable medical care for migrant workers in Singapore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Employers are responsible for the medical expenses of their Work Permit (including migrant domestic workers) and S Pass holders in Singapore. Aside from mandatory medical insurance, employers have little protection or assistance when it comes to large medical bills incurred by their workers.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In order to help employers, manage their workers\u2019 healthcare costs and improve the medical support for migrant workers, the mandatory medical insurance was enhanced to a higher annual claim limit of at least $60,000 for policies with a start date effective on or after <\/strong>1 July.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here is what you need to know about the minimum requirements under the mandatory medical insurance coverage for foreign workers in Singapore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read Also: <\/em><\/strong>Guide To Work Passes In Singapore: Work Permits, S Pass and Employment Pass (EP)<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recap On The Current Medical Insurance Requirements<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Currently, employers hiring Work Permit holders and S Pass holders must buy medical insurance with a coverage of at least $15,000 per year for their inpatient care and day surgery for the duration of their employment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, employers hiring migrant domestic workers are required to buy personal accident insurance coverage of at least $60,000 per year to cover for any sudden, unforeseen, and unexpected incidents resulting in permanent disability or death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Enhanced Medical Insurance For Inpatient Settings<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The enhancements to the medical insurance policies will be implemented over two stages from 1 July 2023 to 1 July 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Stage 1, employers need to buy and maintain medical insurance with an annual claim limit of at least $60,000 for all new and existing work permit holders (including migrant domestic workers).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Source: MOM<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Employers can also make arrangements to co-pay with their work permit holders for their medical bills, provided (i) the co-pay amount does not exceed 10% of the worker\u2019s fixed monthly salary, (ii) the duration of co-payment does not exceed 6 months, and (iii) the co-payment option is clearly written in the employment contract and has the worker\u2019s full consent. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Introduction Of Co-Payment Component, With An Annual Claim Limit Of At Least $60,000<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As the bulk of the workers\u2019 medical bills fall under $15,000, there will be no change to the first dollar of coverage under the enhanced MI. However, as there were over 1,000 employers per year who face bills in excess of $15,000, a co-payment element of up to an annual claim limit of at least $60,000 will be introduced under the new MI requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under the enhanced MI, this would translate to a smaller cash outlay for an employer in the event that their worker incurs a medical bill in excess of $15,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To illustrate this with an example, under the current MI, if a worker incurs a medical bill of $70,000, the employer needs to pay anything in excess of the first $15,000, which amounts to $55,000. However, under the enhanced MI, the employer needs to pay only $13,750, whilst the insurer will co-pay the remaining first dollar cover (of $15,000) and 75% of the annual claim limit (of $60,000), which amounts to $56,250.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example: in the scenario where a worker incurs $70,000 medical bill:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under the current MI:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Under the enhanced MI:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Source: Ministry of Manpower<\/a> (Enhanced medical insurance coverage for Work Permit and S Pass holders – Annex A)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Insurers Will Reimburse Claims Directly To Hospitals<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Under the enhanced medical insurance, insurers will have to reimburse the claims for inpatient and day surgery bills directly to the hospitals. This is a change from the current practice where employers pay their workers\u2019 medical bills first before claiming them back later from their insurers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cash-strapped employers could benefit from this enhancement as it will not constrain their cashflows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Insurers Will Offer Age-Differentiated Insurance Premiums<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

To keep the premiums for enhanced medical insurance affordable, insurers are required to offer age-differentiated premiums for workers aged 50 and below and those over 50. This will be implemented under Stage 2 in 1 July 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Based on the Ministry of Manpower\u2019s foreign workforce numbers<\/a>, there are around 1,211,400 Work Permit and S Pass holders working in Singapore as of 2022. Given that 95% of our migrant workers, including migrant domestic workers, are under 50 years of age, this requirement will help to keep premiums affordable for the large majority of employers.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Standardisation Of Allowable Exclusion Clauses Across Insurers<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The government will provide a standardised list of baseline allowable exclusions across insurers. These exclusions are grouped into (1) treatments that are elective and not medically necessary, (2) treatment resulting from employers\u2019\/workers\u2019 acts, and (3) others, which include the purchase of medical equipment and medical repatriation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This will give employers better clarity on the coverage and the types of claims they are entitled to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Primary Care Plan For Outpatient Settings<\/strong> For Certain Groups<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

From April 1, it will become mandatory for employers hiring Work Permit and S Pass holders who live in dormitories or work in the Construction, Manufacturing or Process (CMP) sectors to buy a primary care plan (PCP) for their workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The primary care plan is supplementary to the medical insurance plan and will cover most of the migrant workers\u2019 primary care needs at a fixed cost, helping employers cope with the rising healthcare costs of their workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the introduction of this plan, migrant workers will have access to affordable primary healthcare services, including unlimited acute and chronic medical consultations and treatments, 24\/7 telemedicine services, annual basic health screening, and scheduled conveyance to and from dormitories and MOM medical centres.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Migrant workers have to co-pay a fixed medical treatment of $5 for each visit to the medical centres or $2 for each telemedicine session, to reduce the moral hazard of overconsumption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The PCP will cost employers a fixed rate of $108 to $138 for each worker per year, depending on the geographical location of their residence. The premiums can be paid monthly, making it flexible for employers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read Also: <\/em><\/strong>What Employers Need To Know About The Mandatory Primary Care Plan (PCP) For Foreign Workers<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"More protection for employers with enhanced medical coverage for migrant workers \n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":8796,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[95],"tags":[1368,1369,1360,377,1359,380],"yoast_head":"\nMandatory Medical Insurance Coverage For Foreign Workers: What Are The Minimum Requirements For Work Permit (including Migrant Domestic Workers) And S Pass Holders | DollarsAndSense Business<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Enhanced medical insurance coverage for Migrant Workers will better protect employers against large, unexpected medical bills\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link 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