Be careful about upgrading to a Private Shield

14 January 2013

Editor, Forum Page

Straits Times

I have received several requests for assistance from elderly consumers

who had upgraded from the basic Medishield cover to an integrated

Shield policy offered by an insurance company and have their 

subsequent claims rejected.

The main reason for rejection is the alleged non-disclosure of 

pre-existing illnesses at the time of upgrading. In many cases, the

medical record came from the polyclinic that were treating the 

consumer. The consumer might not aware about the medical 

condition as they did not understand what the doctor had told them.
Some of these treatment had happened many years earlier.

Many consumers were not aware of this risk of non-disclosure, as they were 

not properly explained of this requirement by the insurance agent. 

They were also told that the private Shield policy provide better 

coverage. This is not true in the case of an elderly patient who was willing to be

treated in a subsidized B2 and C class ward. The Private Shield plan require them 

to pay a significantly higher premium without getting any tangible benefit. Instead, 

they have to suffer the trauma of getting their claim rejected. 

I suggest that it should be the duty of the insurance company to 

check for existing medical conditions at the time of accepting the

upgrading, rather than at the time of a claim. They can ask the 

consumer to declare the doctor that they have been seeing regularly.

Even if the insurance company had to reject the claim under the 

upgraded cover, they should at least assist the consumer to make a

claim under Medishield, instead of leaving the consumer in the lurch.

Tan Kin Lian
President
Financial Services Consumer Association