In Singapore, the government greatly supports the health care of citizens and permanent residents. While you’ll have to pay for your visits to the gynaecologists and prenatal care, you’ll be able to use your Medisave to pay for most of the costs of ultrasounds and the delivery.
Of course, this means you are still paying money out-of-pocket, so you are probably wondering if there’s any pregnancy insurance available.
The straightforward answer is that, yes, there are pregnancy insurance available for pregnancy expenses and postpartum, but it is usually for cases of complications rather than regular prenatal care.
Pregnancy insurance Singapore: Insurance plans available before pregnancy
You can purchase insurance that covers cases of miscarriage, emergency Caesarean sections, premature births, as well as birth defects.
These complications often require greater medical care. They can also warrant a longer hospital stay, which can send bills soaring. In such cases, these policies can really help you cover the gap left by Medisave.
These types of policies are available from most insurance companies. However, you need long-term planning to really utilise them.
Typically, for an insurance company like NTUC Income and Great Eastern, they require you to buy the plan at least 10 months before getting pregnant. This is so they can collect your premiums for a set amount of time.
If you are looking for an insurance that covers the entire pregnancy from day one including all Doctor visits – you might want to consider some of the international insurance companies like Bupa Global.
After pregnancy insurance Singapore: What you need to know
There is another type of insurance, however, that caters to women who are already pregnant. These plans, which is offered by companies like Prudential, AIA and AXA, protects mum and baby from 13 weeks into pregnancy.
They mostly cover pregnancy complications and extends to cover Baby complications after baby is born.
Here is a comparison of some of the Pregnancy Insurance plans available in the market.
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Can I get insurance if I’m an expatriate?
Unfortunately, most of the insurance policies offered here are unlikely to cover the costs of your pregnancy and delivery.
You are best off if you have an overseas insurance policy designed for expatriates that covers international healthcare costs.
In Singapore, there is a company called Medibroker that specialises in searching for suitable insurance policies for expats. Try to plan in advance though, as there may be a long waiting period involved.
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