How it works
An IP has two parts. The MediShield Life part is sized for B2 and C wards. The private part is sold by an insurer and aimed at A and B1 wards or private hospitals. The insurer is the single point of contact for both parts. It collects the whole premium and pays the claims, and it does that for the MediShield Life part as well. A person can hold only one IP at a time.
Pre-existing conditions stay covered by the MediShield Life part for life, even when the insurer's part excludes them.
Who pays what:
- The MediShield Life part is paid in full from MediSave.
- The private part can come from MediSave up to a yearly limit set by age next birthday: S$300 at 40 and below, S$600 from 41 to 70, S$900 from 71. Anything above that is cash. These were the limits on 27 September 2026.
- A rider is paid in cash only. MediSave can't be used for it.
A rider is an optional add-on that covers part of the co-payment an IP leaves, and some add cover for extra treatments. MOH changed the rules from 1 April 2026. New riders can't cover the minimum deductible MOH sets for each IP, which runs from S$1,500 to S$3,500 a policy year depending on the ward class. Every claim keeps a co-payment of at least 5%, and the yearly cap on that co-payment is now at least S$6,000. Riders sold before then have their own terms and move across on the insurer's schedule.
Premiums rise with age. CPF notes that in the 70s and 80s the private part can cost up to five times the MediShield Life premium. Which ward a plan covers, its panel of doctors, its exclusions and its premium are the insurer's, and MOH publishes a comparison of the plans on sale.
Worked example, with made-up figures: a client is 45 next birthday. Her plan's private part costs S$1,000 a year. S$600 can come from MediSave and S$400 is cash, and her rider's premium is all cash on top.
Where it shows up in your week
It comes up at every renewal, because the premium steps up with age. The CRM holds a review date on each client's page, so the conversation happens before the renewal notice arrives.
Related terms
Questions advisors ask
Sources
- Ministry of Health, About Integrated Shield Plan: the two parts, the insurer as single contact, the MediSave limits, last updated 30 April 2026, read 27 September 2026
- CPF Board, Integrated Shield Plan: one plan at a time, premiums by age, page last updated 27 August 2026, read 27 September 2026
- Ministry of Health, New requirements for Integrated Shield Plan riders, press release, 26 November 2025, read 27 September 2026
- MoneySense, Understanding integrated shield plans: riders paid in cash, switching down, last updated 2 July 2026, read 27 September 2026