Medical insurance with pre existing condition - help!
#1
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Joined: Jun 2018
Posts: 2
Medical insurance with pre existing condition - help!
Hi all,
My husband and I are looking to relocate to Singapore in the next six to twelve months. We both work for companies with offices in Singapore that allow internal moves and so with all the research etc. We're excited to firm up some plans.
Here comes the but..... My husband has Ulcerative Colitis that requires medical treatment every eight weeks. It's medication administered in the hospital and takes about one hour. We can't find any insurance company that would cover this. Is there anyone out there that had a condition that required regular treatment and how did you resolve this / how are you managing in Singapore?
Any information is really appreciated as we're thinking that this may actually stop the move.
Thank you all!
My husband and I are looking to relocate to Singapore in the next six to twelve months. We both work for companies with offices in Singapore that allow internal moves and so with all the research etc. We're excited to firm up some plans.
Here comes the but..... My husband has Ulcerative Colitis that requires medical treatment every eight weeks. It's medication administered in the hospital and takes about one hour. We can't find any insurance company that would cover this. Is there anyone out there that had a condition that required regular treatment and how did you resolve this / how are you managing in Singapore?
Any information is really appreciated as we're thinking that this may actually stop the move.
Thank you all!
#2
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Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 1,755
Re: Medical insurance with pre existing condition - help!
No doubt the treatment is available in Singapore.
No doubt the treatment will be very expensive.
Can the company claim under their insurance.
Otherwise I can't see an insurance company taking on an individual who will cost them money unless the premium is high enough to cover it.
No doubt the treatment will be very expensive.
Can the company claim under their insurance.
Otherwise I can't see an insurance company taking on an individual who will cost them money unless the premium is high enough to cover it.
#3
I still dont believe it..
Joined: Oct 2013
Location: 12 degrees north
Posts: 2,777
Re: Medical insurance with pre existing condition - help!
Find out what the treatment will cost, thats what you will have to pay, and expect that this condition and any consequences will be excluded from insurance. You can then insure on that basis, but you may find out its not financially viable to move.
#4
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Joined: Aug 2015
Location: Singapore
Posts: 81
Re: Medical insurance with pre existing condition - help!
Might be a good idea to check with NHS if the cost of treatment can be transferred over to the UK. They have similar agreements with some health services around the world but not sure if SG is one of them.
#5
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Joined: Dec 2002
Location: Keep true friends and puppets close, trust no-one else...
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Re: Medical insurance with pre existing condition - help!
Why should the NHS fund it? Once a person is no longer a UK resident they are not covered by the NHS. Some countries do have a reciprocal arrangement with the U K covering emergency care but I don't see this falling into that category.
#6
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Joined: Aug 2015
Location: Singapore
Posts: 81
Re: Medical insurance with pre existing condition - help!
It was a suggestion only. If there’s no agreement then there’s nothing that can be done and OP will need to cover cost.
#7
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#8
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Joined: Aug 2015
Location: Singapore
Posts: 81
Re: Medical insurance with pre existing condition - help!
You seem to know a lot more about this than I so why not provide some other suggestions
#9
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Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 6
Re: Medical insurance with pre existing condition - help!
Unfortunately private medical insurance won't cover this if cover was extended to your husband it would be done with an exclusion for this and possibly any conditions relating to the alimentary canal as a whole. NHS cover wouldn't extend to Singapore either. The best option would be through your company. If a company scheme is big enough then they can elect to have medical history ignored for applicants. This would mean that your husband was added to the company schme without the need to declare this condition. The basis for this is that when a company scheme is big enough any cases like this are offset by other schme mebers who rarely or never claim. I would recommend that you check with your HR department and find out if this is the case in Singapore. If not then you would need to fund the treatment yourselves.
Singapore has excelent medical facilities and your husband would receive fantastic treatment though it is expensive. If you were funding it yourselves I would consider popping over to Malaysia for the treatment where it would be almost as good and considerably cheaper. Malaysia has excellent facilities and doctors most of whom are trained in the UK or the US.
As a final note if either of you were French then you could continue to pay into the French state system and you'd receive coverage overseas, which can be extended to family members.
Hope this helps
Clive
Singapore has excelent medical facilities and your husband would receive fantastic treatment though it is expensive. If you were funding it yourselves I would consider popping over to Malaysia for the treatment where it would be almost as good and considerably cheaper. Malaysia has excellent facilities and doctors most of whom are trained in the UK or the US.
As a final note if either of you were French then you could continue to pay into the French state system and you'd receive coverage overseas, which can be extended to family members.
Hope this helps
Clive