Singapore Expats

My wife and I have a 7 year old boy and had a little girl 7 months ago when we were living in Europe. We've now relocated to Singapore and we have signed up for extensive health insurance through BUPA, as well as the insurance I have through my company. All in all we are well covered in all departments. However the part of insurance that is related to pregnancy does not cover before after 9 months and we knew that when we signed up. We quite simply couldn't find an insurance that would cover from day one. We looked at each other back then and we said to each other, well we don't really want any more children. At least not now.

My wife started on the pill but she a little infection a month back and the doctor recommended to stop taking the pill for a period. She did and now she is pregnant. It has to come down to one single night when we both shared a bottle of wine We both love our kids and would love one more, this all just comes quite unexpected and I don't believe we are covered insurance wise for the pregnancy, although she will not give birth before March next year.

My questions after all this explaining is:

1.) Does anyone have any idea what a pregnancy will cost, with scans, doctors and most likely c-section in a good hospital?
2.) We have been here 4 months now, so as such our insurance should cover from late January but I am not sure if it will cover anything when the pregnancy has started in the9 month period?
3.) Which hospitals would you recommend here in Singapore, as the best when it comes to giving birth?

You help will be highly appreciated.

Congratulations

There are 2 parts to the cost. One is the monthly checkups etc and the 2nd part is the actual delivery costs.

Typically, you budget like $70-100 every visit for the monthly checkup. But there is one checkup at 20th week which is comprehensive, that one will cost like $300 I guess. Also most hospitals have packages, so you dont need to pay per visit. Its like $700 or something.

The actual delivery cost can be as low as $4000 if its a normal delivery. But if its Caeserian, typically it will cost $10,000. If there are complications, it may go up to 20-25k as well.

Most locals prefer KK, but others are also fine. Depends on where you live. Most people in the east choose Parkway East others choose KK or Mt Alverina.

GlenEagles and Mt Elizabeth are considered expat hospitals.

There are other forums out there that will give you more info on this.

Wd40 wrote:Congratulations

There are 2 parts to the cost. One is the monthly checkups etc and the 2nd part is the actual delivery costs.

Typically, you budget like $70-100 every visit for the monthly checkup. But there is one checkup at 20th week which is comprehensive, that one will cost like $300 I guess. Also most hospitals have packages, so you dont need to pay per visit. Its like $700 or something.

The actual delivery cost can be as low as $4000 if its a normal delivery. But if its Caeserian, typically it will cost $10,000. If there are complications, it may go up to 20-25k as well.

Most locals prefer KK, but others are also fine. Depends on where you live. Most people in the east choose Parkway East others choose KK or Mt Alverina.

GlenEagles and Mt Elizabeth are considered expat hospitals.

There are other forums out there that will give you more info on this.

Wow.... sounds like a good chunk of the savings. Will have to really look into what the basic insurance my company runs covers. Caught us a bit of guard this....

Go to KK. Ask for the cheapest option (public ward - no extra check ups etc). It won't be that bad.

Another alternative is to consider a home birth with a nurse (mid wife) in attendance. Singaporeans did this quite often until the 80s.

PNGMK wrote:Go to KK. Ask for the cheapest option (public ward - no extra check ups etc). It won't be that bad.

Another alternative is to consider a home birth with a nurse (mid wife) in attendance. Singaporeans did this quite often until the 80s.

We might be in a squeeze with the birth. My wife has had c-section at both births and I believe it will be necessary again. Babies are just too big ~4,500 gram

Actually KK is not that cheap, unless you are local and getting discounts. But then again, qualitywise too it is right up there with other private hospitals.

Thomson Medical Centre is also another choice, which is central.

There are topics on this subject, try to search them out. In short:

Fortan wrote:1.) Does anyone have any idea what a pregnancy will cost, with scans, doctors and most likely c-section in a good hospital?

Pregnancy: 0.5-2k; delivery 4-9k normal, 7-20k c-section

2.) We have been here 4 months now, so as such our insurance should cover from late January but I am not sure if it will cover anything when the pregnancy has started in the9 month period?

Hard to say but probably not.

3.) Which hospitals would you recommend here in Singapore, as the best when it comes to giving birth?

You help will be highly appreciated.

It is less about the hospital, more of a doctor. We had it in Month Elisabeth Hospital that supposed to be the top of the top in this country. As for the facilities it was satisfactory to good but they failed to inform us about some important details. The doctors we would not recommend.

On the other hand we have friends who delivered in NUH and Thomson and they were very happy.

You could look at Malaysian and Thai hospitals as a cost option.

Kudos for keeping the baby - too many abortions in this little red dot

Fortan wrote:

Wd40 wrote:Congratulations

There are 2 parts to the cost. One is the monthly checkups etc and the 2nd part is the actual delivery costs.

Typically, you budget like $70-100 every visit for the monthly checkup. But there is one checkup at 20th week which is comprehensive, that one will cost like $300 I guess. Also most hospitals have packages, so you dont need to pay per visit. Its like $700 or something.

The actual delivery cost can be as low as $4000 if its a normal delivery. But if its Caeserian, typically it will cost $10,000. If there are complications, it may go up to 20-25k as well.

Most locals prefer KK, but others are also fine. Depends on where you live. Most people in the east choose Parkway East others choose KK or Mt Alverina.

GlenEagles and Mt Elizabeth are considered expat hospitals.

There are other forums out there that will give you more info on this.

Wow.... sounds like a good chunk of the savings. Will have to really look into what the basic insurance my company runs covers. Caught us .a bit of guard this....

Check with your employer, if they have additional benefits to cover maternity. The MNC bank that I work for pays a fixed amount of $2500 for every child birth as a sort of compensation for the fact that insurance in Singapore dont cover pregnancy.

Looked through our policy late last night and we are covered for pregnancy but the 'waiting period' is 10 months. However I have no idea what this means to us? I expect my wife to be 4 weeks pregnant now which would mean that she will give birth AFTER the 10 month wait - in month 11 or 12 after the insurance was signed up for. I wonder if that means that the insurance will pay for the birth itself and we will only have to cover the pre-natal stuff?

I've written an email to our insurance agent to find out.....

PNGMK wrote:You could look at Malaysian and Thai hospitals as a cost option.

Kudos for keeping the baby - too many abortions in this little red dot

My wife is Thai and we used to live in Bangkok for some years. We always used Samitivej Hospital in Bangkok and was VERY happy with what we were offered, so it is definetely something we are considering too. Just need to find out about our insurance here first and make sure she is in fact pregnant. Two tests over the weekend says so and 14 days over her period which usually runs like clockwork. Hard to avoid the facts.

Abortion is never an option with us. Children are the essence of life

Fortan wrote:Looked through our policy late last night and we are covered for pregnancy but the 'waiting period' is 10 months.

It typically means that if you got pregnant within 10 months after the policy commenced you would be not covered.

x9200 wrote:

Fortan wrote:Looked through our policy late last night and we are covered for pregnancy but the 'waiting period' is 10 months.

It typically means that if you got pregnant within 10 months after the policy commenced you would be not covered.

not happy to hear that .....

This link gives anyone a quite useful overview of the cost of c-section births from different hospitals around Singapore.

http://www.moh.gov.sg/content/moh_web/h ... ction.html

Yes, the link was quoted in the previous discussions I mentioned.
Go to the search function, key in "delivery bill"; chose "Sarch for all terms"; limit to Pediatrician, Obstetrician & Gynaecologist forum and you will have it.