The Big Story: From private to public wards, what new IP rider changes mean for Singaporeans

Singapore’s healthcare landscape is shifting. Private insurance is tightening: starting April, new Integrated Shield Plan riders will no longer fully cover deductibles, and co-payment caps are set to double to at least $6,000 a year. At the same time, Parliament has passed a law requiring all healthcare providers to share patients’ key medical data through the National Electronic Health Record. What does this mean for Singaporeans? Will hospital visits take longer, or could care actually become more efficient? And with more data sharing than ever before, how will your personal health information be safeguarded? On The Big Story, Hongbin Jeong speaks with Dr Akshar Saxena, Assistant Professor of Economics at Nanyang Technological University, to unpack these changes and what they mean for everyday healthcare access.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.