Frequently Asked Questions

General – Panel

  • Q:Why introduce the IncomeShield Panel?

    A:

    The Panel offers those insured under IncomeShield easy access to a team of reputable and qualified medical specialists in private practice across various specialties, conveniently located island-wide.

    The introduction of the Panel shows Income’s commitment to ensure that our health insurance remains accessible, affordable and sustainable for everyone in Singapore. It is also aligned with recommendations by the Health Insurance Task Force to encourage all stakeholders to play a more active role in managing medical care costs and be part of the collective effort to keep healthcare and health insurance accessible and sustainable in Singapore.

  • Q:Who does Income select under this Panel?

    A:

    We only select reputable, qualified and experienced healthcare professionals in their respective fields to offer appropriate and affordable medical care to our policyholders. Currently, we have more than 600 specialists across Singapore from different specialties and sub-specialties on the Panel.

    Our Panel criteria include required specialists registered with Singapore Medical Council, practice experience preferably 5 years or more, a clean professional track record, diversity factors like gender, race, and practice location. Other additional criteria include historical claims records, clinical outcomes, and strategic partnership with healthcare institutions. 

    Specialists or preferred partners must review and agree to terms and conditions of the Panel Agreement. 

  • Q:Will Income enhance the number/type of specialists on the Panel?

    A:

    We will continue to review the suitability of specialists on our panel regularly to ensure that we continue to offer our customers choice when it comes to meeting their healthcare and medical needs.

  • Q:Who can access this Panel?

    A:

    All IncomeShield policyholders or insureds can access and book appointments directly with specialists on our panel with information on our website at www.income.com.sg/specialist-panel. However, before you decide to consult our panel of specialists, it is important for you to consider the plan type as you may be subjected to the effect of pro-ration or sub-limits.

    The “effect of pro-ration” reduces the amount you can claim for the medical consultation or treatment by our panel of specialists as the claimable amount is pro-rated.

    The “effect of sub-limit” requires you to pay for charges that exceed the sub-limits as they place a cap on the amount of coverage for various hospital items such as, the daily room charge.

  • Q:What are the benefits of using Income’s Panel?

    A:

    It gives you access to quality specialists that are selected for their reputation and experience in their fields.

    You will also enjoy a co-payment limit with the Deluxe Care Rider or Classic Care Rider, and extended coverage for pre-and post-hospitalisation treatment if your inpatient hospital treatment is provided by our Panel for the Enhanced IncomeShield Preferred Plan.

    For product information, please refer to our website at www.income.com.sg

    To determine the precise terms and conditions of your cover, please refer to the actual policy and any endorsement issued to you.

    In addition, if you are eligible for our Letter of Guarantee (LOG) and are consulting a specialist from our panel, you can benefit from a LOG amount of up to $20,000, while it is $10,000 for choosing a specialist who falls outside our panel. For choosing a specialist from a public hospital, the LOG amount is up to $30,000.

General – Preferred Partners

  • Q:Why introduce the Income Preferred Partners for Obstetrics and Gynaecology (O&G)?

    A:

    The Preferred Partners (O&G) provides easy access to a team of reputable and qualified O&G specialists, specially curated to look after the needs of our women policyholders and their pregnancies.

    The introduction of the Preferred Partners is part of Income’s commitment towards active management of diverse healthcare needs and ensure healthcare and health insurance remains accessible and sustainable in Singapore.

  • Q:What are the benefits of using the Preferred Partners (O&G)?

    A:

    This will provide you with access to a list of quality specialists in obstetrics. In addition, for selected Enhanced IncomeShield plans, you will have enhanced coverage of 17 types of complications under the pregnancy and delivery-related complications benefit.

    The Preferred Partners (O&G) are also part of the IncomeShield Specialist Panel, and you will also enjoy the benefits under this Panel. 

    For more product information, please refer to our website at www.income.com.sg

  • Q:Who are the Income Preferred Partners (O&G)?

    A:

    Please refer to the IncomeShield Specialist Panel website for the Income Preferred Partners (O&G) list.*  

    * O&G services received at KKH, NUH and SGH will also be regarded as preferred partners.

Policy Plan Coverage

  • Q:Which plans are subjected to the effect of pro-ration or sub-limits when I consult the panel of specialists? What does this mean to me?

    A:

    (a) If you have the following plans, you will be subjected to the effect of pro-ration if you were to seek treatment from our panel of specialists.

    Enhanced IncomeShield Advantage

    Enhanced IncomeShield Basic

    Enhanced IncomeShield C

    IncomeShield Standard

    The “effect of pro-ration” reduces the amount you can claim for the medical consultation or treatment by our panel of specialists as the claimable amount is pro-rated.

    For example, if you have an Enhanced IncomeShield Advantage plan that caters to hospitalisation and treatments at a Class A ward in public hospitals, you will be subjected to a pro-ration factor of 65% if you were to seek treatment with a specialist on our Panel and were hospitalised in a hospital as your plan does not cater to the latter. Although your claimable amount could be $10,000 if you were hospitalised and treated at a Class A ward at a public hospital, the effect of pro-ration would reduce your claim amount to $6,500.

    (b) If you have the following plans, you will be subjected to the effect of sub-limits if you were to seek treatment from our panel of specialists.

    IncomeShield Plan P

    IncomeShield Plan A

    IncomeShield Plan B

    IncomeShield Plan C

    IncomeShield Standard

    Sub-limits apply to plans that are not as-charged. They are limits that put a cap on the amount of coverage for various hospital items such as, the daily room charges. This means that you are required to pay for charges that exceed the sub-limits.

    For example, if you have an IncomeShield Plan A that caters to hospitalisation and treatments at a Class A ward in public hospitals, you will be subjected to sub-limits if you were to seek treatment with our panel of specialists and were hospitalised in a hospital for 1 day. As a result to the plan’s sub-limit amount of $1,200/day for daily room and medical-related charges, although you have incurred $2,600 for daily room & medical-related charges due to treatment by a specialist on our panel and hospitalisation in a hospital, you are required to pay for the amount of $1,400 that exceeds the sub-limit on your own.

  • Q:Which IncomeShield plans caters to treatments with our panel of specialists?

    A:

    “Enhanced IncomeShield Preferred” and “IncomeShield Plan P” are plans that cater to hospitalisation in private hospitals and treatments by private specialists. However, do note that IncomeShield Plan P subjects you to sub-limits, which means that you will have to pay for charges that exceed the sub-limit amount.

  • Q:Besides considering the type of plan, is there anything else that I should consider before deciding on hospitalisation and treatment at a public or private hospital?

    A:

    You should also consider the effect of extensive treatments or prolonged consultations on the amount that you have to pay on your own after your hospitalisation.  

    In addition, you should consider if you have purchased riders that cover the deductible and co-insurance, and how they may affect the fees that you have to pay on your own.

    For product information, please refer to our website at www.income.com.sg

    To determine the precise terms and conditions of your cover, please refer to the actual policy and any endorsement issued to you.

Claims

  • Q:Would bills incurred at Income’s Specialist Panel be eligible to be paid out automatically?

    A:

    No, the bill still needs to be assessed according to the terms and conditions of the IncomeShield policy to determine if you are covered, and how much you are covered for.

  • Q:Do I automatically qualify for Letter of Guarantee (LOG) if I am being treated at Income’s panel of specialists?

    A:

    No. The issuance of LOG is dependent on many other factors. For example, we may not be able to issue the LOG if the policy has been taken up only recently, or if there are specific exclusions imposed on the policy. However, if you are eligible and you consult a specialist from our Panel, we can issue a LOG for an amount of up to $20,000, while it is $10,000 for a specialist who falls outside our Panel.

    If you were to consult a specialist from a public hospital, we can issue a LOG for an amount of up to $30,000.

  • Q:Do I have to pay for these outpatient consultations with Income’s panel of specialists? Will the outpatient bills be sent directly to Income?

    A:

    Whether you consult a specialist from our panel or not, you have to first pay for these outpatient consultations. If you subsequently require hospitalisation or surgery, you may submit all related specialist outpatient bills that you have incurred before the hospitalisation/surgery, only after Income has received the hospitalisation/surgery claim via e-filing. We will then assess the claim to determine if it is payable based on the terms and conditions of the policy.

    If you do not require hospitalisation or surgery subsequently, there is no need to submit the specialist outpatient bills to Income as IncomeShield plans do not cover stand-alone outpatient consultations/treatment.

  • Q:Why doesn’t Income provide a pre-approval service to give me the assurance that my bills will be covered before hospitalisation?

    A:

    The Health Insurance Task Force released a recommendation paper in 2016 that included various recommendations on how to better manage the escalation of health costs in Singapore. These include the introduction of fee benchmarks, preferred panel of healthcare providers, compulsory deductible or co-payment features, pre-approval service, and educational measures that help consumer make prudent choices about their healthcare needs and services. Income has since adopted some of these recommendations (for example, compulsory deductible and co-payment features, as well as, preferred panel of health care providers) and we will continue to review other recommendations to achieve more efficient and sustainable outcomes for policyholders, patients, healthcare providers and insurers.

Others

  • Q:Do I need a referral from a general practitioner (GP) to see these specialists?

    A:

    You do not need a referral to see our panel of specialists. However, it is always prudent to first consult a GP for non-emergency conditions or symptoms for advice, before booking an appointment with the specialist.

  • Q:Do I enjoy a discount or cheaper medical bills when I consult a specialist on the panel?

    A:

    There is no discount for outpatient consultations with specialists from our Panel. Our Panel arrangement is intended to provide you prompt and easy access to a team of quality healthcare professionals. These specialists will charge reasonable fees which commensurate with their professional services rendered, while ensuring that your healthcare and medical needs are addressed appropriately.

    Using our panel of healthcare providers supports the management of healthcare cost and medical claims, which is in line with recommendations made by the Health Insurance Task Force to make healthcare and health insurance sustainable in Singapore.

    The practice of having a panel has proven to be effective in managing fees charged by healthcare providers, and is a common approach for other insurance schemes such as employee benefit insurance.