The link between mental health and insurance in Singapore used to be a dead end: most policies treated a psychiatric diagnosis as an exclusion, not a claim. That has shifted. Since 1 April 2025, MediShield Life pays up to $230 a day for an inpatient psychiatric stay, up to 60 days a policy year. MediSave covers outpatient treatment for conditions like major depression and schizophrenia under the Chronic Disease Management Programme. A standalone subscription plan covers psychiatrist visits and therapy for $9.90 a month, and two critical illness plans now pay a lump sum on a mental illness diagnosis. The cover is real, but it is fragmented across four layers that each have their own limits, waiting periods and exclusions. This guide walks through every layer with the 2026 numbers so you can see exactly what pays out before you spend on a new policy.
There is no single mental health policy you can buy that does everything. Cover is stacked in four layers, and each one answers a different question. MediShield Life and your Integrated Shield Plan handle the hospital bed. MediSave handles regular outpatient treatment for chronic conditions. A standalone subscription plan handles routine counselling and psychiatrist visits that do not need a hospital. Critical illness plans pay a cash lump sum if you are diagnosed with one of a short list of severe mental conditions.
Knowing which layer applies stops you from paying twice. If your need is a few therapy sessions for burnout, a $9.90 subscription beats buying a $3,000-a-year critical illness rider. If your worry is being unable to work for years after a breakdown, the lump-sum plans matter more. Before adding anything, map your existing cover with our financial health check so you are not insuring a risk you already carry.
| Layer | What it pays | Typical limit | Outpatient therapy? |
|---|---|---|---|
| MediShield Life | Inpatient psychiatric ward | $230/day, 60 days/year | No |
| Integrated Shield Plan | Higher-class psychiatric ward + some post-hospital | $4,000-$25,000/year (varies) | Limited, plan-dependent |
| MediSave (CDMP) | Outpatient chronic mental illness | $500-$700/year per patient | Yes, listed conditions |
| SNACK Self Care Pack | Psychiatrist + psychotherapy | $200 + $500/month | Yes |
| Critical illness plan | Lump sum on severe diagnosis | ~20% of sum assured, $50k cap/claim | No, cash payout |
Every Singaporean and PR is covered by MediShield Life, and it does include psychiatric treatment, but only as an inpatient. As part of the scheme enhancements rolled out from 1 April 2025, the inpatient psychiatric claim limit rose to $230 a day for up to 60 days per policy year, sitting under the overall $200,000 annual policy limit. You still pay the deductible and co-insurance first, so the daily limit is a cap on what MediShield Life pays, not a guarantee it covers the full bill.
Your Integrated Shield Plan sits on top for those who buy one. IPs from AIA, Prudential, Great Eastern, Income and Raffles cover psychiatric hospitalisation in higher ward classes, with annual psychiatric sub-limits that commonly run from around $4,000 to $25,000 depending on the insurer and tier. Some plans also reimburse a window of post-hospitalisation psychiatric treatment after discharge. These are sub-limits carved out of the main plan, so check the benefit table, because psychiatric cover is almost always capped lower than physical-illness hospitalisation. To see how the two government layers interact, read our Integrated Shield vs MediShield Life comparison.
What none of these cover is the everyday stuff: a counselling session for anxiety, a GP visit for a sleep problem, or therapy you arrange yourself without admission. Outpatient mental health care needs a different layer.
MediSave is the layer most people miss. Under the Chronic Disease Management Programme (CDMP), you can tap your MediSave for outpatient treatment of several mental health conditions, including major depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, anxiety and dementia. The withdrawal limit is up to $500 a year per patient for standard chronic conditions, rising to up to $700 a year for patients with complex chronic conditions that qualify.
There is a catch worth knowing. Each MediSave-funded CDMP claim normally carries a 15% cash co-payment, which you pay out of pocket. Since 1 February 2024, that 15% co-payment is waived if you receive your CDMP treatment at the clinic you have enrolled with under Healthier SG. So enrolling with a Healthier SG GP who manages your condition can remove the co-payment entirely on these visits.
CDMP covers the consultation, relevant investigations and medication for the managed condition, and it works at participating GP clinics, polyclinics and specialist outpatient clinics. It is the cheapest sustainable way to fund ongoing medication and reviews for a diagnosed condition, well before you reach for a private plan. If you are budgeting recurring health costs, our personal budget calculator helps you size the cash co-payment against the rest of your month.
For routine therapy that needs no hospital and no chronic diagnosis, Income's SNACK Self Care Pack is the most accessible option in the market. It is a monthly subscription bought through the SNACK by Income app at $9.90 a month, which works out to roughly $118.80 a year if you keep it running. Because it is a subscription, you can start and pause it whenever you like, and its cover is not tied to any inpatient hospitalisation condition.
What it pays back is the draw. Subscribers can claim up to $200 a month for psychiatric consultation and up to $500 a month for psychotherapy sessions, claimed through the app. Psychotherapy claims need a psychiatrist's recommendation first, and the plan covers recognised approaches such as cognitive behavioural therapy, EMDR and family or systemic therapy.
Read the fine print before relying on it. If you already have an existing mental condition under psychiatric care, you generally cannot claim for that same condition in the first 12 months of subscribing, though a claim for a different newly diagnosed condition may still go through. Eligibility is for Singapore Citizens and PRs roughly aged 18 to 61. A subscription is not the same as a guaranteed-renewable policy, so treat it as flexible top-up cover rather than lifelong protection. For free and low-cost help that sits underneath any plan, see our guide to free and affordable counselling in Singapore.
The newest shift is critical illness plans treating severe mental illness as a payable condition rather than an exclusion. AIA Beyond Critical Care was the first CI plan in Singapore to do this. It pays an additional 20% of the coverage amount on diagnosis of one of five conditions: major depressive disorder, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, OCD and Tourette syndrome (the last covered up to age 21). Each mental illness claim is capped at $50,000, you can make up to five such claims with a three-year wait between them, and total mental illness payouts across all your policies with the insurer are capped at $150,000, with the benefit running to age 75.
Income's Star Secure Pro takes a similar route within a whole-life structure, paying a lump sum on diagnosis of covered mental conditions through its riders. These are protection plans first, so the premiums reflect full critical illness and life cover, not just the mental health slice. As a rough guide, illustrated annual premiums for a 30-year-old non-smoker on around $100,000 of cover with the relevant riders have been quoted near $3,300 to $3,400, but the exact figure depends on age, sum assured and rider mix, so always run a personalised quote.
These plans answer a different question from the others. They do not reimburse therapy bills; they hand you a cash lump sum to replace income and cover costs while you recover from a severe, diagnosed condition. To weigh a lump-sum plan against simpler cover, our term vs whole life comparison and the critical illness explainer set out the trade-offs.
| Plan | Mental conditions covered | Payout | Cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| AIA Beyond Critical Care | 5 (MDD, schizophrenia, bipolar, OCD, Tourette to 21) | +20% of sum assured | $50k/claim, $150k total, to age 75 |
| Income Star Secure Pro | Covered mental illnesses via riders | Lump sum on diagnosis | Per plan and rider terms |
If you work for a larger employer, check your group plan first. Several corporate schemes now include mental health benefits: Chubb's work-from-home group cover offers up to $500 per employee for mental health support, and other group insurers have added outpatient psychiatric and psychologist benefits or digital coaching partnerships. Group cover is usually the cheapest mental health benefit you will ever have because the employer pays the premium, so use it before buying your own.
The gaps are real. Most plans exclude or limit cover for conditions that existed before you bought the policy, which is the single most common reason a mental health claim is rejected. Buying a plan after a diagnosis rarely helps for that condition. Outpatient therapy outside the specific products above is generally not covered. And critical illness plans pay only on a confirmed severe diagnosis that meets the policy definition, not on stress, burnout or a self-reported low mood.
Match the cover to the need rather than buying the most expensive plan. The table below maps the common situations to the layer that pays out most efficiently.
| Your situation | Most sensible move |
|---|---|
| A few therapy sessions for burnout | SNACK Self Care Pack at $9.90/month, or employer cover |
| Ongoing medication for a diagnosed condition | MediSave under CDMP at an enrolled Healthier SG clinic |
| Hospital admission for a psychiatric episode | MediShield Life + Integrated Shield Plan |
| Fear of long income loss from severe illness | Critical illness plan with mental illness benefit |
| Employee at a larger firm | Use the group mental health benefit before buying |
| Already diagnosed and seeking new cover | Disclose fully; expect exclusions on that condition |
Yes, in layers. MediShield Life covers inpatient psychiatric stays at up to $230 a day for 60 days a year, MediSave covers outpatient treatment for listed conditions under CDMP, the SNACK Self Care Pack covers therapy from $9.90 a month, and some critical illness plans pay a lump sum on a severe diagnosis.
Since 1 April 2025, MediShield Life pays up to $230 per day for inpatient psychiatric treatment, for a maximum of 60 days per policy year, under the overall $200,000 annual policy limit. You still pay the deductible and co-insurance first, so it does not cover the entire bill.
You can use MediSave for outpatient treatment of listed mental health conditions like major depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, anxiety and dementia under the Chronic Disease Management Programme, up to $500 to $700 a year per patient. General counselling for stress that is not a diagnosed CDMP condition is not MediSave-claimable.
It usually leads to an exclusion or loading on that specific condition rather than an outright rejection of all cover. Pre-existing conditions are the most common reason mental health claims are denied, so disclose your history honestly at application. Buying a plan after a diagnosis rarely secures cover for that same condition.
This is general financial information for Singapore, not personal financial advice. Figures change — verify current rates against the official sources above before acting. See our full disclaimer.