With dengue cases on the rise, COVID-19 is not the only disease to worry about. Here are insurance plans you can get to protect you and your family against the dreaded mozzies.
As of 14 July 2020, the number of dengue cases in Singapore this year has already surpassed the total number of cases for the whole of 2019. The National Environment Agency (NEA) is also expecting the total number of infections for 2020 to exceed the record 22,170 cases in 2013.
The rise in dengue cases in recent months has been tied to the circuit breaker, such as the cessation of construction activities. Despite the majority of the population staying home, there was also a five-fold increase in the incidence of Aedes mosquito larvae detected in homes and common corridors at residential areas during the two-month Circuit Breaker period, compared to the two months prior.
In an effort to reduce the number of breeding sites found in homes, NEA will be imposing heavier penalties from 15 July 2020. First-time offenders will be penalised with a $200 fine for a single instance of mosquito breeding, and $300 for multiple breeding instances during the same inspection.
Image source: iStock
Why You Should Plan to Get a Dengue Plan
We are just at the start of the dengue peak season of June to October. Even if your neighbourhood is not a red zone (high-risk area) for dengue, there are still plenty of reasons for you to get dengue insurance plans to protect yourself and loved ones.
- Dengue is not entirely preventable: Dengue is transmitted via the bite of an infective Aedes mosquito. While you can make a conscious effort to protect you and your family by preventing the collection of stagnant water in your home, your neighbours or nearby construction sites might not be as vigilant. You still run the possibility of getting infected, especially if you live in a dengue hotspot.
- You can get infected multiple times: You can get dengue fever multiple times. Repeat dengue infections have also been associated with a higher occurrence of severe dengue.
- Risks of getting dengue: The effects of dengue fever can vary from mild to severe, with up to 75% of dengue infections being asymptomatic. Symptoms can often be overlooked, having similarities to your regular flu bug, such as a fever and joint and muscle pain. However, dengue infections can also be severe, especially among the elderly and those with pre-existing medical conditions. Dengue fever may progress to dengue hemorrhagic fever or dengue shock syndrome and severe cases could result in hospitalisation or even death.
- Dengue plans are more affordable and wholesome than you think: Most plans that cover dengue fever are personal accident plans. These plans not only protect you for dengue fever and other diseases, but also provide coverage for everyday accidents you might get into.
Do keep in mind that these plans should be purchased as a precaution, rather than an afterthought once you are diagnosed with dengue fever.
Dengue Insurance Plans To Protect Yourself
Great Eastern is offering a free Assurance Kit that comes with dengue insurance (GREAT MozzieSafe plan) and GP video consultation.
Dengue coverage, in a nutshell: Under Great Eastern’s GREAT MozzieSafe (basic) plan, should you be hospitalised due to dengue, you will receive daily hospital cash benefit for each 24-hour day of confinement in a Singapore hospital. This is capped at a maximum of 10 days per hospitalisation.
- Daily hospital cash benefit of $50 if you are admitted into a Singapore hospital (Standard Room & Board)
- Daily hospital cash benefit of $150 if you are admitted into a Singapore hospital (Intensive Care Unit)
What else this plan offers: You will receive the same daily hospital cash benefit if you are hospitalised due to over covered diseases, namely Zika, Malaria, Yellow Fever and Chikungunya Fever.
You also enjoy a free video consultation from Doctor Anywhere. This could come in handy should you require a visit to the doctor but prefer not to step out of the house to stay safe from COVID-19.
Cost: Free (Promotion is valid from 1 May 2020 to 31 August 2020)
You can register here for the free Assurance Kit. Full terms and conditions found here.
If you’re looking for an insurance plan that covers more than just dengue fever, this plan offers protection against COVID-19 and other infectious diseases on top of your traditional personal accident coverage. You also enjoy a discount on the premiums when you get this plan for your loved ones.
Dengue coverage, in a nutshell: The FWD Personal Accident And Infectious Disease Coverage provides coverage in the form of a lump sum payout, hospitalisation cash and reimbursement of medical expenses should you be diagnosed with dengue or other infectious diseases covered under the plan.
If you are hospitalised due to an infectious disease, you will receive $25 a day for hospital cash allowance, or $50 a day when hospitalised in an intensive care unit, valid for up to 365 days. You can also claim up to $1,000 for medical expenses (both inpatient and outpatient) and $50,000 sum assured if the death is directly caused by the infectious disease.
What else this plan offers: This plan covers a comprehensive list of 24 infectious diseases, including dengue and COVID-19. A personal accident plan by nature, the FWD Personal Accident And Infectious Disease Coverage provides $100,000 accidental death benefit, $100,000 permanent total and partial disability coverage, up to $100 per day daily hospital income for personal accidents and reimbursement for medical expenses.
Here’s a snapshot of the personal accident coverage provided.
This plan also provides physiotherapy and traditional chinese medicine (TCM) coverage. There is also no occupational loading, meaning no extra premiums are required if you have increased risk exposure in your line of work.
You can find the full details of the plan here.
Annual premium cost: $98 (individual), $186.20 (couple cover – 5% discount), $252 (family cover – 10% discount)
For those looking for dengue-specific insurance policy, unlike the AIA Dengue Defence Cover, this policy covers all ages up to age 99.
Dengue coverage, in a nutshell: TM Protect MozBite is a personal accident plan offered by Tokio Marine, designed to provide protection against dengue fever.
Upon diagnosis of dengue (or any of the other diseases covered), you will receive a lump sum benefit of either $3,000 or $5,000, depending on the plan you choose. Here are the two plans available:
What else this plan offers: Besides coverage against dengue fever, this plan also covers other infectious diseases including Zika fever, Chikungunya fever, Yellow fever and Malaria. You can find the full policy summary here.
Annual premium cost: $59 (Plan A), $39 (Plan B). This plan can be renewed yearly.
A personal accident plan, ePROTECT Safety now comes with complimentary COVID-19 and dengue cover diagnosis benefit, for a limited time only.
Dengue coverage, in a nutshell: You will receive a cash benefit of $3,000 upon a dengue fever or COVID-19 diagnosis by a Medical Practitioner.
Dengue insurance plans to protect yourself includes coverage for COVID-19 as well. | Image Source: Policy wording
If in the unfortunate event that you are diagnosed with both dengue fever and COVID-19 within the same period of insurance, you will be entitled to a lump sum payment of $6,000. The complimentary cover for both COVID-19 and dengue fever will then expire for that period of insurance.
The coverage starts 14 days upon issuance/renewal of the plan and automatically expires when the insurance coverage ends, or upon paying out both diagnosis benefit for COVID-19 and dengue fever for the period of insurance, whichever is earlier.
What else this plan offers: Besides the complimentary dengue fever and COVID-19 coverage, ePROTECT Safety reimburses hospitalisation expenses for 22 infectious diseases including Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease, and H1N1. You also enjoy coverage of up to $500,000 protection for accidental death or permanent disability as well as outpatient medical expenses of up to $4,000.
You can find the full details of the plan here.
Cost: $18 a month (monthly renewable subscription), adding up to $216 in a year. You can also buy this plan for your spouse and children.
Prevention is Better Than Cure
Much like how we mask up to reduce the spread of COVID-19, every individual has a part to play in Singapore’s fight against dengue.
While dengue insurance plans to protect yourself can come useful, we can (and should) all do our part to help protect our families and neighbours, whether we have insurance protection for dengue or not.
For a disease that has no vaccine, we can strive to reduce the chances of getting bitten in the first place. This starts from removing stagnant water in our homes to prevent mosquito breeding. Find out what you can do to help prevent Aedes mosquito breeding here.
This article was republished on theAsiaparent with permission from SingSaver. SingSaver is a personal finance comparison platform which provides free, quick and easily accessible resources to help consumers understand personal finance products in Singapore; including credit cards, personal loans and travel insurance.
Lead image source: iStock
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