Whether it’s a cataract removal surgery or radiation therapy for cancer, undergoing medical treatment can be a nerve-wracking experience. Worrying about the hospital bill and your medical insurance claim outcome can add to the stress, but there are easy hacks to avoid this, so you can focus on the most important thing: your health.

Just like finding a medical specialist and making a medical appointment, filing a medical claim is just one part of the entire journey of undergoing hospitalisation or medical treatment. When your health isn't at its peak and you're feeling anxious about the outcome of a surgery, the last thing you need is to worry about potential roadblocks when it comes to filing a claim with your insurer for medical costs incurred.

How having an Integrated Shield Plan helps you

Having medical insurance significantly reduces your financial burden. As a policyholder of Singlife Shield and its rider Singlife Health Plus, you will get priority access to Singlife’s panel of private medical specialists which is operated by IHH Healthcare Singapore – the largest private healthcare provider in Singapore which operates some of the most reputable and trusted healthcare brands including Gleneagles Hospital, Mount Elizabeth Hospitals, Parkway East Hospital and Parkway Shenton. You’ll also enjoy hassle-free appointment booking plus various other benefits when you consult a medical specialist from our panel.

• Wide network of medical specialists across various disciplines
• Priority access to our panel specialists – make an appointment with a private panel specialist within 3 working days
• Cashless admission and paperless claim so you can focus on your recovery

On the point of panel specialists, you should take note, however, that Singlife Shield comes in different plan types, each with different levels of coverage. If you’re a Singlife Shield Plan 1 customer, you can choose any panel specialist you like. If you’re a Singlife Shield Plan 2, Singlife Shield Plan 3 or Singlife Shield Standard Plan customer, you should check your plan’s coverage before seeing a private specialist, as these plans are not designed to cover private specialist fees.

A big plus for Singlife Shield customers is that you can look forward to a hassle-free, speedy claims experience. With this financial assurance, you can focus on what really matters, in other words, your health and well-being.

Just remember to follow a few simple steps when you want to consult a specialist or be admitted at a hospital. If you don’t have time to read this entire article, jump straight to the infographic below.

Tips for hassle-free and faster claims processing

Should you need to get medical treatment, simply follow this three-step process for easy and speedy claims processing:

Step 1: Select a medical specialist

Find a suitable medical specialist from Singlife’s panel. You’ll enjoy hassle-free appointment booking and preferred consultation rates.

There are two convenient ways to make an appointment:

• Make a booking online at singlife.ixchange.com.sg/
• Call the appointment hotline at 1800 600 0066

Step 2: Identify yourself as a Singlife Shield policyholder

On the day of your treatment with a Singlife preferred medical provider, remember to inform the staff that you’re a Singlife Shield policyholder.

Step 3: Go for your treatment without having to pay cash upon admission or other hassle

Yup, it’s that easy and I can personally attest to it! Your coverage lets you enjoy cashless admission and paperless claims at any of Singlife’s participating private hospitals and clinics. The hospital or clinic will submit your claim directly to Singlife so you don’t have to deal with any administrative fuss.

What if you’re planning to be admitted at one of our public hospitals? In this case, you may request for a Letter of Guarantee (LoG) to waive up to S$80,000 on your upfront cash admission deposit for your surgery or hospitalisation. It may sound like a complicated thing but requesting an LoG is actually a piece of cake. On the day of admission, all you have to do is inform the hospital admission officer that you wish to request for an LoG. Based on your eligibility, the admission officer will be able to tell you the outcome of your LoG request on the spot.

(Incidentally, if you’re struggling to pick a hospital for your treatment, here’s a handy four-point guide to choosing a hospital in Singapore.)

Bonus tip for smoother medical claims processing

In some cases, you may need follow-up treatment after your hospital treatment to ensure your health condition is properly addressed. There will be separate costs for this.

Here's a bonus tip for smoother medical claims processing: You should submit any post-hospitalisation treatment receipts to Singlife by sending an email to [email protected] with the subject header “Claims Submission: [Policy Number]” and the team will process the payment. Do note that post-hospitalisation claims must be for the follow-up treatment by the same attending doctor for the same condition during admission.

When your health needs attention, medical bill surprises and tedious claims processes should be the least of your concerns. This guide and tips for a faster and smoother medical claims process will help you stay focused on your treatment and getting your health back on track.

^Notes

^{As this product has no savings or investment feature, there is no cash value if the policy ends or if the policy is terminated prematurely. Buying a health insurance policy that is not suitable for you may impact your ability to finance your future healthcare needs.}

^{This advertisement has not been reviewed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore.}