Friday, June 6, 2014

Medishield Life

Pioneer Generation advertisement and video clips have been produced to explain the various benefits for pioneer generation which is good. One area of understanding I like to focus on is perhaps the Medishield Life. I am concern because many who have the private medical insurance Shield Plans may terminate it and go to MediShield Life. Especially when it is said, for those above age 80 is free, 100% paid by government. Medishield Life, if information on term and condition, when released, I would think would be close to the current basic Medishield Plan with some improvement. I am sounding a caution because my mother is above 80 this year. Fortunate to just qualify for the free premium. All the current Shield Plans, Incomeshield, Myshield, PruShield, Supremehealthshield, etc, consist partly of the basic medical within it to form the base of the plan. Currently when I pay IncomeShield Premium for my mother, part of the premium insurer collects is paid to CPF Board for the Basic Medishield Premium, as the latter forms part of the IncomeShield Plan, same for other private medical shield plans. This is why when a shield plan is cancelled it falls back to become Basic Medishield Plan. I am paying about $1600 annual premium for my mum's Plan B. With the coming free premium for Medishield Life, I hope part of the premium will be discount, I think should be for this group of citizen who has private shield plan. Some may think then why carry on with private medical insurance shield plans? I think the Medishield Life plan may be catering up to level of coverage similar to Basic Medishield with some improvement, but I need to be careful with switchning my mother down to Medishield Life. My mother is a kidney dialysis patient that need dialysis thrice weekly and cost $2700+ a month which IncomeShield pays $2400+. If Medishield Life is introduced and kidney dialysis claim benefit limit is $1200 then the impact will be obvious for my mum. I should not switch her. So far this is my point which I hope you can see where I am coming from. I hope you can understand my point. Nothing to do with asking you to remain in Shield Plan but just in case if you have old folks who wish to switch by then, look at the limit of coverage when plan is more firm. I am unlikely to switch plan for my mother. This is just my personal view that I thought I like to share with you looking forward to the MediShield Life to be introduced. At least I am hopeful my mum's premium will be halved being a pioneer generation.