Singapore offers world-class healthcare, but it doesn’t come cheap! It is therefore important to take out health insurance to cover medical expenses for you and your family, including children. Depending on your situation, some types of protection may be essential for your children, others less important. Make sure you understand a policy’s benefits and exclusions, largely based on the ages of your children and whether you plan to have more. Here are other considerations to keep in mind when choosing health insurance for children.
#1 Hospital treatment
Inpatient benefits are the foundation of any expat health insurance plan in Singapore. They cover the cost of any treatment that would require your child to go to the emergency room, undergo surgery or spend the night in a waiting room. Children are generally covered for the costs of common childhood injuries and illnesses. These include bone fractures, tonsillectomies, and even the insertion of ear tubes in cases of chronic middle ear infection. This coverage is all the more useful as the cost of these treatments can easily exceed a year of visits to the family doctor or general practitioner.
#2 Outpatient treatment
Outpatient benefits are typically offered as a package that you can add to your inpatient insurance. These include the cost of visiting your GP or a specialist such as an ENT doctor. They also cover prescribed medications as well as scans or diagnostic tests. Although outpatient treatments for children are generally inexpensive on their own, if your child has frequent infections or tends to catch illnesses from other children at school, those repeated doctor visits can add up. For expats in Singapore, even government polyclinics will charge 47 Euros or more per consultation in a general clinic.
#3 Parental accommodation
Another benefit to be aware of, especially if your child is young, is parental accommodation. This covers the cost of an extra bed so you can care for your child while they are in guardianship. Whether you have a young child who needs reassurance or you are on vacation and the staff may not speak your language, you can stay by your child’s side. International health insurance policies typically offer parental accommodation as part of your or your child’s health insurance plan’s hospitalization benefits.
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#4 Vaccination coverage
While vaccines can be especially important for young children and newborns, there are still booster shots or longer vaccination schedules that older children need. In Singapore, the price of vaccines can vary from relatively little for a flu vaccination to more than 100 euros for combination vaccines or pneumococcal vaccine (for newborns and young children). Health insurance plans typically include vaccinations as part of outpatient benefits, depending on the plan you purchase. These would include vaccinations against tuberculosis, polio, measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), and varicella (chickenpox). Consider the annual coverage limit when deciding which plan best meets your needs.
#5 Add Newborns to Your Health Insurance Policy
Does your family seem to be growing? Expat health insurance plans allow you to add newborns to your family’s policy without medical underwriting. If you already have a plan, your child can be covered immediately after filing a simple form with your insurer. Whether you’re planning for your family’s future or making sure your children’s current health needs are met, insurance plans have you covered.
