Aviva MyShield Integrated Shield Plan Review 2021

NOTE: Aviva is now Singlife with Aviva

Aviva is one of 7 insurers offering Integrated Shield plans in Singapore. In this article, we take a look at Aviva MyShield and see how good the plans really are.

For the uninitiated, Integrated Shield plans are meant to complement MediShield Life, which all Singaporeans and PRs already have. They offer health insurance coverage over and above whatever coverage MediShield Life already offers.

 

What are Integrated Shield plans?

MediShield Life is the government’s health insurance plan that covers all Singaporeans and PRs. The health insurance coverage offered by MediShield is very basic, offering payouts only for essential medical costs. In addition, there are limits on how much you can claim.

If you don’t have private health insurance, you will have to pay out of pocket any costs above the claim limits or those not covered by MediShield Life.

In short, MediShield Life is so basic that anyone who’s actually worried about their medical costs should consider purchasing an Integrated Shield plan to supplement it.

You will need an Integrated Shield plan in order to stay at higher class wards rather than be limited to Class B2 or C wards. You can also choose to go to private hospitals if you get a plan that covers you for them.

Another key feature of Integrated Shield plans is that they offer coverage for pre-hospitalisation and post-hospitalisation costs, which are not covered by MediShield Life. This is important as the costs you incur before and after hospitalisation are often considerable and might even exceed the costs you incur while hospitalised.

 

Aviva MyShield Integrated Shield premiums

Aviva MyShield	Ward	Annual premium*
Plan 3	Up to B1	$310 (MediShield Life) + $100 = $410
Plan 2	Class A wards	$310 (MediShield Life) + $168 = $478
Plan 1	Private hospitals	$310 (MediShield Life) + $409 = $710

* For Singapore citizens aged 35. 

In terms of pricing, Aviva MyShield’s plans are pretty damn expensive compared to what other insurers are offering.

For example, other insurers like AXA and AIA provide private hospitalisation insurance plans (equivalent to Aviva MyShield Plan 1) for about $600 in total, which is significantly lower than Aviva’s premiums.

Read our overall comparison of integrated shield plans to see how much other plans cost.

That being said, Aviva MyShield does come with some perks for families, if you buy the relevant riders. These include free cover for babies of up to 6 months of age, as well as free Integrated Shield plan coverage and discounted premium rates for up to 4 children.

So if you’re a family with kids, this could be a good plan to have until your kids no longer qualify for free/discounted insurance.

 

Aviva MyShield Integrated Shield plans

Aviva MyShield	Pre-hospitalisation cover	Post-hospitalisation cover	Annual coverage limit
Plan 3	180 days	365 days	$500,000
Plan 2	180 days	365 days	$1,000,000
Plan 1	180 days	365 days	$1,000,000 (bumped up to $2,000,000 if you go to a public hospital or panel specialist)

Note: The pre- and post-hospitalisation cover period is only if you go through a public hospital or Aviva panel specialist with certificate of pre-authorisation. Otherwise, it will be just 90 and 180 days respectively.

The three Aviva MyShield plans are rather blandly called Plan 1, Plan 2 and Plan 3.

• Plan 1 gives you access to any standard ward in private hospitals. It’s the costliest plan of the three.
• Plan 2 gives you access to any standard ward (including Class A wards) in restructured/public hospitals.
• Plan 3 gives you access to hospital wards up to Class B1 (4 bed standard ward) in public or restructured hospitals, one step up from the Class B2 wards that MediShield Life gives you access to.

The annual coverage limits are decent enough, but bear in mind that you’ll need to go through either a public hospitalisation OR an Aviva panel specialist (with pre-authorisation) in order to enjoy the full length of pre- and post-hospitalisation cover.

If you don’t, the cover of 90 and 180 days is not great, considering diagnosis and testing can sometimes take months.

 

Aviva MyShield Integrated Shield riders: MyHealthPlus

Aviva’s MyHealthPlus riders enable you to reduce your deductible and co-payment portion, so you pay less out of pocket when you make a claim.

Called MyHealthPlus Option A-II and MyHealthPlus Option C-II, both Aviva riders cover 50% of your co-insurance and caps it at $3,000 per year.

They also offer a one-off $10,000 payout if you are diagnosed with covered critical illnesses, plus an additional $3,000 layout for kidney dialysis as a result of kidney failure.

What’s the difference then?

Option A-II is much cheaper, at $43 to $155 a year depending on which plan you add it on to. It offers free cover for your children. But it does NOT cover your deductible, which costs up to $3,500. You have to pay it the first time you get hospitalised in a policy year.

Option C-II costs much more: $211 to $912 a year depending on your plan, and it reduces your deductible to $1,000 and your co-insurance to 5%. It does not give free cover for your kids, although you can buy plans at discounted prices for them.

Rider premiums must be paid in cash and are not Medisave-eligible.

 

How does Aviva MyShield supplement MediShield Life coverage?

As with other Integrated Shield plans, Aviva MyShield is meant to offer coverage in areas that MediShield does not. This includes ambulance fees, higher claim limits, pre- and post-hospital treatment and treatment for rare conditions that MediShield excludes.

The way Integrated Shield plans like Aviva MyShield are structured ensures that you do not end up paying for duplicated protection.

You will get billed once a year for the total (MediShield + Integrated Shield) and the premium, up to the annual withdrawal limits, will be deducted from your Medisave.  You then pay the shortfall (if any) plus rider premiums in cash.

 

Should you get an Aviva MyShield plan?

Those who stand to benefit the most are affluent families with multiple kids who have the means to purchase one of the riders, as you can then save on your kids’ health insurance premiums while at the same time beefing up your post-hospitalisation cover.

The main issue with Aviva MyShield is that it is pretty damn expensive considering the protection offered. If you do not need to cover your family, then it’s well worth your time to research the other options in Singapore.

Get personalised quotes for health insurance plans in Singapore on MoneySmart, or check out our Integrated Shield plan comparison.

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Image by Bruno Glätsch from Pixabay