In 02 Sept 2019, The Singapore Parliament approved Careshield Life. This is the 3rd Shield that Singapore has to prepare our population in this aging economy. We will be covering how will Careshield Life be part of our Wealth Management journey and whether it will be enough.
What is Careshield Life?
CareShield Life provides Singapore a Lifetime* payout of $600/month up to $1200/month** in the event of severe disability. The premiums can be fully paid by Medisave. The government ensures that no one will lose their coverage due to financial difficulties. The claim will be eligible if a person is unable to perform at least 3 out of 6 activities of daily living.
*As long as the insured remain severely disabled
**Estimated payout if increase at 2% a year
Why will you need it?
I hope you can agree with me that once a person is unable to perform 3 out of 6 activities of daily living, he/she probably will need help to maintain and sustain his/her life. In the 3 Lessons I Learnt From Critical Illness Survivors and Family Members, I learnt that a family member typically have to help the survivor for at least 6 months or until the treatment is over. If the disability is prolonged, most of them will choose to employ a maid to take care of them.
In recent years, the monthly recurring cost of hiring a maid (excluding the one time cost such as plane tickets, etc) is easily more than $800. This does not include other options like nursing homes, home and community care, transport, consumables and so on.
Based on AVIVA’s Long Term Care Study 2011 showed that claimants on average required about $2,150 per month to pay for a domestic helper or nursing home, transportation to and from the hospital for treatments or physiotherapy, mobility aids, as well as daily expenses and bills.
A Department of Statistics Singapore paper published in 2011 showed that, in Singapore, more than a third of caregivers had been providing care to their recipients for over a decade.
In the Eldershield Review Committee Report in 2018, 1 in 2 healthy Singaporeans aged 65 could become severely disabled in their lifetime.
With the statistics stacked against you, I personally think that the $600/month from Careshield life will not be enough.
I already have insurance that covers for TPD. Why make me buy this?
TPD or total permanent disability will only have a payout when it is permanent (As the name suggest. For the avoidance of doubt, please check your individual policies for the definition). If the condition is not serious enough, there may not be a claim from TPD. Careshield Life provides monthly pay outs as long as you are unable to fulfill 3/6 Activities of Daily Living either temporary or permanent. Other common severe disabilities includes the following:
- What if there is an amputation that is because of diabetes?
- What if there is an accident or degeneration of muscle?
- Progression of illnesses such as dementia?
What should you do?
If you are age 30 – 40 now, welcome to Careshield Life. It is compulsory. Those that are in eldershield (1979 and before), you can get incentive when you switch over to Careshield Life by by 31 Dec 2023. You can find out more here.
Final Thoughts
Personally, I think this is a great initiative by the government to address the needs of the aging population in the years to come. Those who are between 30 to 40 will probably be shocked (or pleasantly surprised) to receive this letter in the next few days.
You shouldn’t be paying only $200 for careshield. I think we should pay more for more benefits.
Long Term Care is part of your Wealth Management, speak to your financial advisors for future clarification.
No one will care about your money as much as you do.
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Check out my most popular blog post in 2020 so far: 5 mistakes people make using their CPF.
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