Frequently Asked Questions

General FAQ - The Specialist Panel 321

  • Q:Why introduce the IncomeShield Private Specialist Panel? 321

    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.


    Test Purging update

  • Q:Who does Income select under this Private Specialist Panel?

    A:

    We only select reputable, qualified and experienced private healthcare professionals in their respective fields. Currently, we have more than 200 specialists across Singapore and different specialties and sub-specialties on the Panel.

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

    A:

    We will continue to review the suitability of private 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:How does the IncomeShield Private Specialist Panel compare to other insurers?

    A:

    Our panel of medical specialists are selected based on their good reputation and experience in their respective fields, and are comparable to other insurers in offering appropriate and affordable medical care to policyholders.

  • Q:Who can access this Private Specialist Panel?

    A:

    All IncomeShield policyholders or insureds can access and book appointments directly with private specialists on our Panel with information on our website at www.income.com.sg/value-added-services/specialist-panel. However, before you decide to consult our panel of private 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 private 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 Private Specialist Panel?

    A:

    It gives you access to quality private 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 private specialist from our panel, you can benefit from a LOG amount of up to $20,000, while it is $10,000 for choosing a private specialist who falls outside our panel. For choosing a specialist from a public hospital, the LOG amount is up to $30,000.

General FAQ - Policy Plan Coverage

  • Q:Which plans are subjected to the effect of pro-ration or sub-limits when I consult the panel of private 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 in private practice.

    • 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 private 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 private specialist on our Panel and were hospitalised in a private 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 in private practice.

    • 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 in private practice and were hospitalised in a private 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 private specialist on our panel and hospitalisation in a private 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 private specialists?

    A:

    “Enhanced IncomeShield Preferred” and “IncomeShield Plan P” are plans that cater to hospitalisations 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.

General FAQ - Claims

  • Q:Would bills incurred at Income’s Private 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 private 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 private specialist from our Panel, we can issue a LOG for an amount of up to $20,000, while it is $10,000 for a private 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 private specialists? Will the outpatient bills be sent directly to Income?

    A:

    Whether you consult a private 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.

General FAQ - Others

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

    A:

    You do not need a referral to see our panel of private 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 private specialist.

  • Q:Do I enjoy a discount or cheaper medical bills when I consult a private 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 private healthcare professionals. These private 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.