MediShield Life: how Singapore's basic health insurance covers your baby

MediShield Life is Singapore's mandatory basic health insurance, administered by the CPF Board. MOH says it helps pay large hospital bills and selected costly outpatient treatments such as dialysis and chemotherapy. Every Singapore citizen baby is covered automatically for life, MOH says, including babies born with congenital and neonatal conditions. You can pay the premiums from your baby's MediSave Grant for Newborns.

What MediShield Life pays for

CPF describes three kinds of cover: hospital stays and day surgery, costly outpatient treatment such as kidney dialysis, cancer drugs and radiotherapy, and care in community hospitals and inpatient palliative care. A payout offsets part of the bill. The rest is paid from MediSave, up to its limits, or in cash.

MOH says the benefits are sized for subsidised treatment in public hospitals, which means Class B2 or C wards. You are still covered in an A or B1 ward or a private hospital, but the payout covers a smaller share of the bill. MOH's claim limits show the scale: $830 a day in a normal ward and $5,140 a day in intensive care, with an extra $800 a day for the first two days of an inpatient stay. Some things are never covered, such as ambulance fees, cosmetic surgery and dental work unless it follows an accident.

Your newborn's cover from day one

You do not sign your baby up. MOH says all Singapore citizen babies, including those born with congenital and neonatal conditions, are automatically covered for life. That matters if your baby needs time in the neonatal unit, for example after a premature birth, because a condition present at birth does not keep your child out of the scheme.

The MediSave Grant for Newborns is there to pay the premiums. MOH says you can use it for your baby's MediShield Life premiums, and that further subsidies help lower to middle income families keep premiums affordable.

Premiums and how they are paid

MOH's premium table charges $200 a year, including GST and before subsidies, for anyone aged 1 to 20 next birthday, on policies starting or renewing from 1 April 2025. Families in a home with an annual value of $31,000 or less can get a subsidy: for ages 1 to 40, MOH lists 25%, 20% or 15% depending on household monthly income per person, up to $3,600.

Payment is automatic. MOH says premiums are deducted from the insured person's MediSave, and if that runs short, parents or a spouse can apply to pay from their own MediSave. MOH also says no one will lose coverage because they cannot afford to pay, though people who can pay and refuse face recovery measures.

MediShield Life and private plans

Some parents want cover for a private hospital or a higher ward class. CPF says an Integrated Shield Plan combines MediShield Life with an extra layer of private insurance from a private insurer, so your child keeps the basic cover either way. Made For Families lists premiums for MediShield Life and MediSave-approved integrated plans among the things CDA savings can pay.

Frequently asked questions

Is my newborn covered by MediShield Life?

Yes, if your baby is a Singapore citizen. MOH says every citizen baby is covered automatically for life, including babies with congenital or neonatal conditions.

How much is MediShield Life for a child?

$200 a year before subsidies for ages 1 to 20 next birthday, on MOH's table for policies starting or renewing from 1 April 2025. MOH says the newborn MediSave grant covers these premiums until 21.

Does MediShield Life cover a private hospital?

Yes, but MOH says the payout then covers a smaller share of the bill, because the benefits are sized for B2 and C wards in public hospitals.

Can I pay my child's premium from my MediSave?

Yes. MOH says parents and spouses can apply to CPF to pay a family member's MediShield Life premiums from their own MediSave.

Related terms

• MediSave Grant for Newborns: A $5,000 credit into your Singapore citizen baby's own MediSave account at birth registration, for premiums, vaccines and medical bills.
• CDA (Child Development Account): Your child's savings account that the Government tops up with a grant and matched savings, for approved preschool and clinic bills.
• Preterm (Premature) Birth: A baby born alive before 37 completed weeks of pregnancy. In Singapore, about 8.5% of babies arrive this early.
• Baby Bonus Scheme: Singapore's parenthood payout: a Cash Gift plus a Child Development Account, replaced by the SG Child Support Package from April 2027.

See every term in the glossary