SpecialCare (Down Syndrome) Insurance

Parents of individuals with Down syndrome often encounter difficulty obtaining insurance coverage. SpecialCare (Down Syndrome) is an insurance plan to give financial protection to these individuals.

Besides having the common features of a personal accident insurance plan, this plan also offers benefits such as paying for medical expenses to treat specific infectious diseases (e.g. hand, foot and mouth disease and dengue fever), paying for physiotherapy and psychiatric treatment when the individual with Down syndrome suffers trauma after an accident; and waiving the premium for five years if the parent or legal guardian of the individual meets with an accident and dies.

Parents or legal guardians of the individual can buy our SpecialCare (Down Syndrome) plan even if the individual is covered by Medishield Life. This is because SpecialCare (Down Syndrome) pays for outpatient treatment when individual suffers an accidental injury or contracts an infectious disease which is generally not covered under a Medishield Life plan. It also helps to pay for part of the hospitalisation expenses that falls within Medishield Life’s deductible or co-insurance limit.

SpecialCare (Down Syndrome) plan also provides unique benefits such as physiotherapy and psychiatric therapy, personal liability.

Only parents or legal guardians of the person with Down syndrome can be the policyholder of SpecialCare (Down Syndrome) plan. They must hold a valid Singapore identification document such as a Singapore National Registration Identification Card (NRIC), birth certificate, work pass or Long Term Visit Pass.

Individuals aged 30 and below with Down syndrome are eligible for the SpecialCare (Down Syndrome) plan. He/She must hold a valid Singapore identification document such as a Singapore National Registration Identification Card (NRIC), birth certificate, work pass or Long Term Visit Pass. He/She must also not have any of the following medical conditions:

• Mobility problems requiring mobility aids such as walking stick, wheelchair, walker or crutches for daily movements and activities
• Epilepsy
• Total blindness and/or deafness
• Diabetes requiring insulin treatments

The minimum entry age is 15 days old and the maximum entry age is 30 years old. There is no age limit for parents and legal guardians who are policyholders but they will need to be 75 years old and below in order to be eligible for two of the benefits, Section 1- accidental death and permanent disability of policyholder; and Section 2- waiver of premium due to accidental death of policyholder.

The policy is renewable annually up to age 75. From time to time, the premiums and conditions of the policy may change upon renewal.

We may change the benefits and premiums of the policy depending on our claims experience. While Income does not seek to profit from this policy, we need to ensure that it is sustainable.

We will notify the policyholder in advance of any changes to enable the policyholder to make an informed decision about renewing the policy.

Yes, this policy covers the insured against accidents when he/she travels out of Singapore for not more than 90 days every year; except for personal liability benefit which is only valid when the accident takes place in Singapore.

The policyholder will also be covered against accidental death and permanent disability when they travel out of Singapore for not more than 90 days every year.

This benefit allows the insured to have continued coverage without having to pay premiums for up to five years if the policyholder (one of the parents or the legal guardian) passes away as a result of an accident.

The 5-year premium waiver is applicable provided that the policy renewal is accepted by Income. The 5-year time frame will help give the family sufficient time to nominate a new policyholder for the insured.

Please note that this benefit will not apply if the policyholder is above 75 years old.

The list of infectious diseases covered is as follows:

1. Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD)
2. Dengue fever (DHF)
3. Avian influenza or 'bird flu' due to influenza A viral strains H5N1, H9N2 or H7N7
4. Tuberculosis
5. Measles
6. Malaria
7. Anthrax infection
8. Yellow fever
9. Plague
10. Melioidosis or 'soil disease'
11. Rabies
12. Legionnaires' diease
13. Chikungunya
14. Nipah viral encephalitis
15. Japanese viral encephalitis
16. Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob diease (vCJD) or 'mad cow diease'
17. Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)

Please note that we do not cover any infectious disease from the date it has been announced as pandemic or epidemic by the health authority in Singapore or the World Health Organisation.

Final expenses benefit is a lump sum cash payment to help the family with the funeral arrangements if the insured meets with an accident and dies within 12 months from the date of the accident.

Yes, we will pay for the outpatient medical expenses up to the benefit limit of the plan, to treat injuries and the 17 listed infectious diseases.

Yes, the insured can visit the chiropractor and TCM practitioner for treatment of an injury due to an accident. However, this policy only covers treatments for injuries which happen within 90 days from the date of the accident.

Mobility aids benefit will pay the actual cost of buying or renting the mobility aids after the insured meets with an accident and require the use of such mobility aids. However, the aids must be prescribed by a medical practitioner as medically necessary to help with the insured mobility.

If the insured suffers 50% or more permanent disability (based on the scale of compensation table) and it is necessary to renovate the home so that the insured can be more mobile while at home, we will pay for the reasonable expenses needed to modify the home. We will only allow for modification of the home where the insured resides. Proof of spending on modification must be sent to us within six months from the date of the permanent disability as confirmed by our medical practitioner.

All the claims payable by Income under SpecialCare (Down Syndrome) will be added up during the lifetime the insured person is covered under the policy. Once the claims paid by Income have reached the lifetime limit, the policy will no longer be valid.