AIA HealthShield Gold Max Integrated Shield Plan Review 2021

AIA HealthShield Gold Max is one of 7 Integrated Shield plans available in Singapore.

Integrated Shield plans are health insurance plans that offer you medical protection over and above what MediShield Life offers, so you can enjoy more complete medical coverage and reduce even further your out-of-pocket medical expenses.

Let’s look at the benefits of getting it below.

 

What are Integrated Shield plans?

Imagine the feeling of being rushed to hospital in an ambulance, and worrying the whole time about how much that ambulance ride, and your impending treatment, will cost.

That’s what might happen to you if you do not purchase health insurance, and choose instead to rely entirely on the very basic MediShield Life.

MediShield Life, which all Singaporeans and PRs have automatically, covers very basic medical costs, but this is subject to strict limits and lots of exclusions. (And no, ambulance rides are not covered.)

The solution to this problem is to purchase an Integrated Shield plan. Having an Integrated Shield plan like the AIA HealthShield Gold Max will give you more peace of mind.

For instance, MediShield Life claims can only cover stays in Class B2 or C wards in public/restructured hospitals. So if you want to go to a private hospital in order to skip the long queues, your MediShield Life payouts will cover such a small portion of the cost that you might find yourself weighing the pros and cons of dying.

MediShield Life also has a whole lot of exclusions, including pre- and post-hospitalisation treatment. That’s not very comforting when you consider that the money spent before and after being hospitalised can actually exceed your hospital bill. Tests and diagnoses for tricky conditions alone can amount to the thousands.

 

AIA HealthShield Gold Max Integrated Shield premiums

AIA Healthshield Gold Max	Ward	Annual premium*
B Lite plan	Class B1	$310 (MediShield Life) + $102 = $412
B plan	Class A	$310 (MediShield Life) + $168 = $478
A plan	Private hospitals	$310 (MediShield Life) + $300 = $610

*For Singapore citizens aged 35

In terms of pricing, AIA Healthshield Gold Max offers some of the most affordable ones on the market, with the A Plan offering particularly good value for money.

At a very affordable price relative to other insurers, the A Plan gets you a very generous 13 months’ pre- and post-hospitalisation cover so long as you use an AIA Preferred Provider, and the annual claim limit is $2 million.

As with all Integrated Shield plans, you get to pay a portion of your premiums using Medisave. The balance must be paid out-of-pocket on an annual basis.

 

AIA HealthShield Gold Max Integrated Shield plans

AIA Healthshield Gold Max	Pre-hospitalisation cover	Post-hospitalisation cover	Annual coverage limit
B Lite plan	100 days	100 days	$300,000
B plan	180 days	180 days	$1 million
A plan	100 days (13 months via AIA Preferred Provider)	100 days (13 months via AIA Preferred Provider)	$1 million ($2 million via AIA Preferred Provider)

*For Singapore citizens aged 35

AIA’s HealthShield Gold Max Integrated Shield plan has three tiers: B Lite, B and A.

• B Lite Plan gives you access to Class B1 wards in public/restructured hospitals. This is one step above the B2 wards MediShield Life gives you access to.
• B Plan lets you use up to Class A wards in public/restructured hospitals.
• Those who wish to have the option of using private hospitals should opt for the A Plan. To enjoy the full benefits, you’ll need to go to one of AIA’s panel of preferred medical providers.

Read also: With So Many Integrated Shield Plans Available, How Do You Decide Which to Choose?

 

AIA HealthShield Gold Max rider: AIA Max VitalHealth

AIA offers the following rider: AIA Max VitalHealth, which can be added to any of the three AIA HealthShield Gold Max plans.

The key benefit of this rider is reducing your out-of-pocket costs when making a claim.

Instead of paying a deductible of up to $3,500 + co-insurance of 10%, with a rider, you need only co-pay 5% of your bill. This is capped at $3,000 per policy year.

Premiums depend on which plan you add it onto. The rider costs $144 for B Lite, $234 for B, and $459 for A Plan. Note that rider premiums must be paid 100% in cash as they are not Medisave-eligible.

A Plan policyholders can also purchase an Optional Booster with enhanced benefits like post-A&E treatment benefit, ambulance service benefit, outpatient treatment for dengue and HFMD, and emergency international medical assistance and repatriation.

 

How does AIA HealthShield Gold Max supplement MediShield Life coverage?

Integrated Shield plans like AIA HealthShield Gold Max do not duplicate what MediShield Life offers; rather, they act as a supplement. This makes them more economical than getting a separate health insurance policy from a foreign insurer that does not taken into account MediShield Life.

Your MediShield Life protection will be supplemented with coverage in areas like pre- and post-hospital treatment, treatment for certain rare conditions that MediShield Life does not offer coverage for and ambulance fees.

The limits for AIA HealthShield Gold Max are also much higher than MediShield Life’s, which means that you can claim much higher amounts instead of paying them out-of-pocket.

 

Should you get the AIA HealthShield Gold Max?

Compared to what other Integrated Shield plan providers are offering, AIA HealthShield Gold Max Plan A probably offers the best value for money right now, for people who are looking for a plan that offers access to private hospitals.

You just have to make sure you always use healthcare providers on their panel in order to qualify for the 13 month pre- and post-hospitalisation benefit.

If, however, you are on a tight budget and only want a plan that gives you access to B1 or A wards in public/restructured hospitals, HealthShield Gold Max’s prices are not as competitive. Check out Great Eastern’s Supreme Health plans instead, as they’re some of the cheapest in town and still offer decent benefits at those tiers.

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