You need to buy medical and personal accident insurance for your migrant domestic worker (MDW). Find out the coverage required.
Before your helper arrives in Singapore, you must buy medical insurance (MI) and personal accident insurance as part of your medical obligations to her.
You cannot pass on the cost of purchasing the insurance to your helper.
Medical insurance
You need to buy an MI with coverage for inpatient care and day surgery during your helper’s stay in Singapore with an annual claim limit of at least:
- (For policies with start date effective before 1 July 2023) $15,000 per year
- (For policies with start date effective on or after 1 July 2023) $60,000 per year
If the MI plan has sub-limits (e.g. inpatient care, day surgery or ‘per disability/medical condition’), each sub-limit needs to meet the minimum annual claim limit as stated above.
Enhanced MI
Since 1 July 2023, we have enhanced the minimum MI required for all new and existing helpers (including confinement nannies). The enhanced MI will better protect employers against large medical bills incurred by your helpers, and will be implemented in two stages as shown in the table below.
Engage
insurers offering the enhanced MI early to understand the products available. We encourage you to buy an MI with all the enhanced requirements early for better peace of mind.
| To implement for MI policies, renewals or extensions with start date effective from |
Enhanced MI requirements |
| 1 July 2023 (Stage 1) |
Higher annual claim limit of at least $60,000, with a co-payment of 75% by insurers and 25% by employers for claim amounts above $15,000. |
| 1 July 2025 (Stage 2) |
- Standardisation of allowable exclusion clauses
- Introduction of age-differentiated premiums for those aged 50 and below, and those aged above 50
- Requirement for insurers to reimburse hospitals directly upon the admissibility of the claim
|
Find out more on when you need to transition to the enhanced MI.
Personal accident insurance
The personal accident insurance purchased for your helper must meet all of these requirements:
- Have a sum assured of at least $60,000 per year.
- Cover sudden, unforeseen and unexpected incidents resulting in permanent disability or death.
- Not contain extra exclusion clauses that are not in the Employment of Foreign Manpower Regulations.
This is to protect your helper and her family by providing a lump sum compensation if she suffers from permanent disability or passes away due to an accident.
The compensation must be made payable to your helper or her beneficiaries.