An integrated shield plan (IP) is a crucial health insurance policy that all Singaporean Citizens and Permanent Residents are eligible for. It provides additional coverage on top of what we already have under MediShield Life, which sufficiently covers public hospital wards up to class B2/C wards. The additional private insurance coverage that IPs provide can be used to pay for a larger proportion of the cost of stay in private hospitals and in Class B1/A wards, compared to what MediShield Life can cover.
In other words, if you’re comfortable with Class B2 or C wards in public hospitals, MediShield Life alone should be sufficient for your needs. If you prefer a higher-class ward, or prefer private hospitals over public hospitals, an appropriate IP would better cover the additional costs. According to the Ministry of Health, about 7 in 10 Singaporeans choose to purchase IPs.
Read Also: Complete Guide To Buying A Private Integrated Shield Plan
MediShield Life Premiums Cost More As You Age
However, there is one aspect of both MediShield Life and IPs that can be a concern, and that is how premiums cost significantly more once you turn 50, and costs start increasing every few years for the rest of your life.
Source: MOH
MediShield Life premiums, for example, currently jump from $637 to $903 per year once you turn 51, before subsidies. That’s almost 42% more. By the time you turn 74, premiums cost $1,816 per year before subsidies. That’s more than double the annual cost when you are 51.
Read Also: How Much Your MediShield Life Premiums Will Be Going Up From April 2025
For Integrated Shield Plans, since the price of the premiums includes the cost of MediShield Life, you can expect similar increases as you age. For example, for two IPs, namely IncomeShield Standard Plan and AIA HealthShield Gold Max Standard Plan, the annual premium when you turn 74 is $2,619 and $2,780, respectively. That’s more than double the premiums you would have paid when you were in your 50s.
Source: MOH
Notably, the premiums start to increase exponentially after you retire in your 60s, which can place a significant strain on your finances if you are not adequately prepared for the eventuality.
CPF Health Insurance Planner Is Now Enhanced And Updated
This is one reason the Central Provident Fund (CPF) Board, in a joint initiative with MOH, developed the Health Insurance Planner, a free-to-use online tool that helps you make informed decisions about your health insurance coverage. By giving you personalised projections of your long-term MediSave savings and health insurance premiums, it gives you a consolidated view to better review and plan your healthcare coverage.
Launched in March 2025, the Planner is updated every January with the latest rates, based on current age-based premium tables for MediShield Life, Integrated Shield Plans (IPs), and riders. This matters because insurers do increase premiums for their existing IP products. For example, five of the seven insurers increased IP premiums at the start of April 2026, citing rising medical costs and an increase in claim amounts.
One enhancement added to the CPF Health Insurance Planner after its launch last year is the inclusion of IP riders in the projection. This follows the new MOH requirements for IP riders, introduced in April 2026.
Source: CPF Health Insurance Planner (with personalised results)
For example, based on the information I’ve provided, the personalised projection up to age 70 suggests I could consider switching to the new rider introduced in April 2026, which costs less than my existing rider but doesn’t cover my deductibles.
Ultimately, of course, I would need to speak to my financial advisor first before making any decisions to get a better understanding, and that is exactly what the Planner suggests.
Source: CPF Health Insurance Planner (with personalised results)
The Planner also provides a visual representation of my costs with my existing rider and allows me to compare it to a new rider.
Of course, the results and projections provided in the Health Insurance Planner are intended to be used for illustrative purposes only. They should not be regarded as financial advice, not used as a substitute for a financial consultation session. After all, the Health Insurance Planner, while it does require you to log in with your SingPass to obtain information like your current MediSave savings, ultimately relies on you to provide additional information, such as your IP rider or even your expected income from bonuses.
Mainly, it only provides one important but incomplete picture – that of costs alone. Depending on your medical condition and lifestyle, especially if you have pre-existing conditions, switching riders, or even IPs might have additional consequences that the Health Insurance Planner does not cover. For example, you may lose coverage for pre-existing conditions or end up paying higher premiums if you switch insurers, and the Planner warns you accordingly.
Nonetheless, using CPF’s Health Insurance Planner is a good start to help you get targeted advice from your financial advisor. It even provides you with a personalised report and the following checklist that you can use in your next review with your financial advisor.
Source: CPF
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