What hospital financial counselling sessions don’t tell you
If you’ve only got a minute:
No one wants to be hospitalised, but arming yourself with some nuggets of information can make the process less stressful.
- Factors that affect your hospitalisation bill include the type of ward you stay in, length of stay, room rate and daily treatment fees, and medical costs.
- As your MediSave is limited to how much you have contributed into the account over the years, make sure that you have made all possible claims before drawing on it.
- Claim from your company’s health insurance first, then tap on your personal health insurance if needed.
- If you want to make a MediShield Life claim to pay part of your bill, inform the hospital staff. You can also use your Integrated Shield Plan to pay the bill.
Being admitted into a hospital can be a stressful process. There may be many things that you are worried about such as your health condition, whether any expensive medical procedure is required and how much the process would cost you. To relieve your stress and understand the claims procedure, here are some useful information which hospital financial counselling sessions might not tell you.
In order to find out if the above is applicable, complete and sign a consent form provided by the hospital and they will work with the relevant government agencies (Central Provident Fund Board, Ministry of Health, Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore) to determine the subsidies allowed as well as with insurance companies to work out the final bill after you discharge.
You can also submit the Medical Claims Authorisation Form (Multiple Institutions) to authorise the use of MediSave, MediShield Life and your Integrated Shield Plan to be used for future medical treatments at all participating institutions.
As your MediSave is limited to how much you have contributed into the account over the years, make sure that you have made all possible claims before drawing on it. Find out if you are covered under each item and claim the following in order to maximise your MediSave savings.
Personal and company’s health insurance
Claim from your company’s health insurance first, then tap on your personal health insurance if needed.
Inform your agent or insurer beforehand to ensure that the medical procedure or treatment is covered under your policy. In most cases, you will have to pay for the bill first and then make a claim according to how your insurer requires you to do so.
Medishield life claim
Inform the staff that you want to make a MediShield Life claim to pay part of your bills. The hospital will submit your claim on your behalf after receiving your authorisation.
After the claim has been processed, the amount will be released to the hospital by the CPF Board. The remaining amount on your bill can be covered by MediSave and/or cash.
If you have an integrated shield plan (IP)
Contact your insurer or agent immediately when you know that you are going to be admitted to a hospital and inform the hospital staff that you wish to pay your bill using IP.
Your insurer will process the claim and make the total payment to the hospital or other medical institution, on your behalf. They will also handle the documentation of your MediShield Life claim and the portion of your bill being paid by MediShield Life will be automatically sent to the hospital.
The remaining amount on your bill can be covered by MediSave and/or cash.
Making payment through medisave
You can pay for your hospital bill using your MediSave as well as your immediate family’s MediSave (spouse, children, siblings, parents, grandparents). Do note that you must be a Singapore Citizen or Permanent Resident to use your grandchildren’s or sibling’s MediSave.
Inform the hospital staff that you intend to use your MediSave to pay and sign the forms for the CPF MediSave Deduction if any. Bring along your NRIC/Passport or your CPF membership card. You will then need to sign a MediSave Authorisation Form authorising the CPF Board to deduct from your MediSave Account to pay for the hospital bill.
Your MediSave can be used to pay for medical care and hospitalisation expenses listed on Medisave website, up to the respective Medisave Withdrawal Limits.
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Disclaimers and Important Notice
This article is meant for information only and should not be relied upon as financial advice. Before making any decision to buy, sell or hold any investment or insurance product, you should seek advice from a financial adviser regarding its suitability.
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