Did I really not pay a single cent for my bill? *Cont'd

I last wrote about it here about how my insurance helped me pay for my day surgery and I didn't need to pay a single cent for it.

I was re-reading what I wrote and felt the need to clarify my position.

I had Integrated Shield Plan with a rider that allowed me to have all my medical expenses paid for by the policy.

Insurance used to be a very foreign subject for me. I deemed it too complex, not very applicable to me and not too concerned about it.

Integrated Shield Plan
This is basically Private insurance plans for Hospitalisation. Such plans are "integrated" because it consists of the public portion (MediShield/MediShield Life) and the private portion (AIA/Aviva/GE/NTUC/Prudential).

Then what?
The MediShield portion is payable via our CPF Medisave account. Those who bought the ISP will have the top up the private portion using cash.

1 November 2015 is where MediShield Life comes to play. It's time to decide if you should keep or terminate your ISP

Type of wards
ISP can cover up to B1 and A wards in public hospitals. MediShield Life covers up to B2 wards in public hospitals

ISP covers private hospital stay. MediShield Life only covers public hospitals.

The more expensive (there's a range of them) ISP covers all amounts of hospitalisation charges. MediShield Life covers the charges up to a cap.

What if there's no C or B2 wards and I'm claiming under MediShield Life?
No worries, because of the lack of suitable wards, they'll put you in A/B2 wards and you'll not be charged for the difference.

What if I want to stay in Class A/2B2 wards out of choice, and I'm claiming under MediShield Life?
You just pay the difference in cash (the rest claimable).

Choice of doctors
MediShield Life doesn't allow you to choose your doctors (if you decide to do so). ISP allows.

Coverage
MediShield Life covers all conditions (including pre-existing ones). ISP excludes pre-existing conditions.

Payout
ISP gives you the option to pay extra and obtain a "Rider", where you are covered from the first cent of the bill. MediShield Life doesn't have a rider option, so co-payment applies.

ISP allows claims for pre and post hospitalisation charges. MediShield Life doesn't.

Loss of Income option?
The Loss of Income type of plans is not tagged to ISP. You can buy Loss of Income policies from Private insurers, while enjoying MediShield life only.

Only Rider is tagged on the ISP.

Last words
The decision is whether to keep your Rider plan, and also keep your ISP.

I've made my decision after calculating the additional premiums and how much I want to be insured.

So, did I really not fork out a single dime for my bill? One could say I've already pre-paid my bills by paying my premiums beforehand. But let's not forget the benefit of ISP that covers pre and post hospitalisation fees. I think that's the attractiveness of ISP, at the moment. Rider, is good to have, but not essential.

Decide if you need the ISP and/or Rider option.