Senior health correspondent Salma Khalik’s commentary brought up various discrepancies concerning charges, claims and benefits that many policyholders do not know about (“Help! I’m confused about health insurance plans”; last Sunday).
For example, why is it that the charge covering the same ward class can differ by more than 100 per cent among insurers?
To date, I have not read any response from the five insurers – NTUC Income, Great Eastern, AIA, Prudential and Aviva – to the various points that the writer has raised.
Silence, in this case, is not golden. It will breed cynicism and more suspicions – that our insurers are simply cashing in on the confusion because there is really nothing policyholders can do about it.
At a time when the Government is going to introduce MediShield Life for Singaporeans, it is important and timely that it should step in to help clear up the confusion and to ensure that we can continue to believe in insurance for peace of mind.
To say that “this is a free market and buyers have to be aware” will not do, as it is not a free market.
This is because our health insurance policyholders do not have adequate information to make the right choice, assuming they have one.
Sia Cheong Yew
*Letter first appeared in ST Forum (5 Jan).