30 August, 2020

Changes to Critical Illness Definitions in Singapore

Critical illness insurance plans are an important part of any insurance portfolio, especially in Singapore.  Singapore is a wealthy country, with a wealthy country health issues.  The average Singaporean will not die early of malnutrition, childhood diseases, and gastrointestinal brought about by poor sanitation.  The average life expectancy in Singapore is 83 years old for males, and 85 years old for females.  This means we are likely to live long enough to contract a critical illness.

A hospitalisation plan covers the cost of treatment for a critical illness, unless it is a new condition, and they end up naming it after you.  What such a plan does not cover, is the loss of income and the degradation in the standard of living due to the onset of critical illness.  In most families, it may mean the loss or decrease in more than one income streams.  The one who has cancer, for example, is not the only one who cannot work.  Often, another family member, likely the spouse or one of the children, has to become the caregiver and give up on a career.  Even if not, the stress of the illness affects more than one person.

In light of this, it is perfectly understandable why that insurance payout is so important.  It is not only a replacement for income loss, but that extra funds give us options in additional medical options not otherwise covered by the insurer, complementary therapy, or even a final trip.  It is a hedge against impoverishment and medical bankruptcy.

From the 26th August 2020, there are updated definitions for the standard 37 critical illnesses  all life insurers abide to under the Life Insurance Association of Singapore’s Critical Illness Framework 2019.  This was announced on the 29th August 2019.  This means, from that 26th August 2020, no life insurer may sell a critical illness plan or rider under the old definitions.  This does not, in any way, affect any critical illness policy sold before this, and claims against these policies.  These are refinements of definitions of certain critical illnesses, and not the addition or removal from this list.

Under the Critical Illness Framework 2019, the definitions of 21 critical illnesses were revised, while the names of 14 critical illnesses were enhanced to better reflect the intent of the coverage, and remove ambiguity.  The following is a summary of the changes to the standard list of 37 critical illness under the framework:

No

Critical Illness

Name Change?

Definition Change?

1

Major Cancer

Yes

Yes

2

Heart Attacks of Specified Severity

Yes

Yes

3

Stroke with Permanent Neurological Deficit

Yes

Yes

4

Coronary Artery By-pass Surgery

No

No

5

End Stage Kidney Failure

Yes

No

6

Irreversible Aplastic Anaemia

Yes

Yes

7

End Stage Lung Disease

No

No

8

End Stage Liver Disease

No

No

9

Coma

No

Yes

10

Deafness (Irreversible Loss of Hearing)

Yes

Yes

11

Open Chest Heart Valve Surgery

Yes

No

12

Irreversible Loss of Speech

Yes

Yes

13

Major Burns

No

No

14

Major Organ / Bone Marrow Transplantation

No

No

15

Multiple Sclerosis

No

Yes

16

Muscular Dystrophy

No

Yes

17

Idiopathic Parkinson’s Disease

Yes

Yes

18

Open Chest Surgery to Aorta

Yes

No

19

Alzheimer's Disease / Severe Dementia

No

Yes

20

Fulminant Hepatitis

No

No

21

Motor Neurone Disease

No

Yes

22

Primary Pulmonary Hypertension

No

No

23

HIV Due to Blood Transfusion & Occupationally Acquired HIV

No

Yes

24

Benign Brain Tumour

No

Yes

25

Severe Encephalitis

Yes

Yes

26

Severe Bacterial Meningitis

Yes

No

27

Angioplasty & Other Invasive Treatment for Coronary Artery

No

No

28

Blindness (Irreversible Loss of Sight)

Yes

Yes

29

Major Head Trauma

No

Yes

30

Paralysis (Irreversible Loss of Use of Limbs)

Yes

No

31

Terminal Illness

No

No

32

Progressive Scleroderma

No

Yes

33

Persistent Vegetative State (Apallic Syndrome)

Yes

No

34

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus with Lupus Nephritis

No

yes

35

Other Serious Coronary Artery Disease

No

Yes

36

Poliomyelitis

N0

Yes

37

Loss of Independent Existence

Yes

No

Details of these amendments are available at the Life Insurance Association of Singapore’s Critical Illness Framework Comparison of the 2014 & 2019 Definitions.

The reason for these changes is to provide greater transparency, and provide common definitions of these critical illnesses so that consumers are able to compare different policy plans and assess their coverage needs.  This also seeks to eliminate claim discrepancies due to varying definitions, where one insurer may pay out for a claim, whereas another would decline, for the same condition.

None of this precludes insurers from extending coverage beyond the standard 37 critical illnesses, which AIA Singapore does, for its critical illness plans.  For example, AIA Power Critical Cover offers a wide coverage for 175 conditions, including 150 multi-stage critical illnesses, 10 conditions under our Pre-Early Benefit, and 15 special condition.  AIA further boosts your coverage with a Power Reset Benefit, restoring 100% of your coverage 12 months after your last claim, allowing you to make claims up to five times your coverage amount.  You will also enjoy twice your coverage amount should a relapse occur with our Power Relapse Benefit.

Additionally, some changes have expanded benefits for the insured. These include allowing claims under “HIV Due to Blood Transfusion & Occupationally Acquired HIV” for those who suffer from thalassaemia or haemophillia.  Previously, they were denied a claim.  Also, the new definitions have aligned the “Blindness (Irreversible Lost of Sight)” condition with the legal definition of blindness of 6/60, from the previous 3/60.

None of these amendments materially affect any existing coverage.  These definitions are not implemented retroactively, in a manner to deny claims.  They are enhancements, and may be a reason for you to relook your critical illness coverage to add to what you already have.  For amendments that expand the scope of existing coverage, however, it is the discretion of the insurer as to whether they apply, or apply upon auto-renewal of the policy or riders.  There is no reason to rush, or be pressured to relook your coverage.



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