Raffles health insurance in Singapore means one product almost everyone is asking about: Raffles Shield, the Integrated Shield Plan run by Raffles Health Insurance, the insurance arm of the group behind Raffles Hospital. It is the only IP that gives you a direct route into Raffles Hospital without paying full private-hospital prices, which is its main draw. As of June 2026, Raffles Shield comes in four tiers (Private, A, B and Standard) sitting on top of MediShield Life, and the whole range was reworked on 1 April 2026: base premiums rose for the first time since the 2018 launch, the old Raffles Key Rider closed to new buyers, and a leaner Raffles Choice Rider took its place. This guide walks through the tiers, the real numbers and who each plan actually suits.
Raffles Shield is an Integrated Shield Plan. Every Singaporean and PR is already covered by MediShield Life, the national hospital scheme run by the CPF Board, and an IP layers extra coverage on top of it so you can claim higher ward classes and private treatment. Raffles Health Insurance is one of seven IP insurers, and what sets it apart is its link to Raffles Hospital through the Raffles Medical Group.
Like every IP, the base Raffles Shield plan can be paid for with MediSave up to the Additional Withdrawal Limits, while any rider on top must be paid in cash. If you want the mechanics of how the national layer and the private layer fit together, see our explainer on Integrated Shield Plans and the MediShield Life vs IP comparison.
The tier you pick sets two things: the highest ward or hospital class you can claim as charged, and how much you pay if you are treated somewhere above your tier. That second part is the pro-ration factor, which scales a bill down before the plan pays it.
| Tier | Highest ward covered as charged | Pro-ration if you go higher | Annual claim limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raffles Shield Private | All private hospitals plus public Class A/B1/B2/C | Not applicable at the top tier | Up to S$1,500,000 (panel) / S$600,000 (non-panel) |
| Raffles Shield A | Public Class A and below | 70% at Raffles Hospital | Up to S$600,000 |
| Raffles Shield B | Public Class B1 and below | 60% at Raffles Hospital | Up to S$300,000 |
| Raffles Shield Standard | Public Class B1 and below | 50% at Raffles Hospital | Up to S$200,000 |
The headline feature is the Raffles Hospital option, which can be added to Shield A. It lets you be treated as a private patient at Raffles Hospital while paying closer to a public Class A premium than a full private-plan premium. For people who specifically want Raffles Hospital and its doctors, this is the reason to choose Raffles over a rival IP.
There are three numbers that decide your real out-of-pocket exposure: the annual premium, the deductible and the co-insurance. The base premium is age-banded and rises as you get older, like every IP.
As a snapshot of the base-plan premiums published by Raffles for a healthy male aged 31-35 (as of June 2026): Raffles Shield Private is around S$237 a year, Shield A around S$156, Shield B around S$83 and Standard around S$62. These are MediSave-payable base premiums only and do not include any rider, which is cash. Premiums climb steeply from your 40s onward, so model the cost across decades, not just today. Our financial health calculator helps you sanity-check whether the rider premium fits your cash budget.
This is the part that makes 2026 different. Raffles repriced the whole range, and the rules around riders changed industry-wide on 1 April 2026.
On the base plans, Raffles raised premiums for the first time since the plans launched in 2018, citing medical inflation and rising claims. It also enhanced several benefits, adding limits like home ventilation and respiratory support of S$840 a month on Private (S$1,680 on A and B), paediatric home care of S$420 to S$840 a month, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy of S$780 to S$1,560 per session.
On riders, two things happened at once. First, the old Raffles Key Rider closed to new buyers from 1 April 2026, replaced by the new Raffles Choice Rider. Second, an MOH rule that applies to all insurers kicked in: from 1 April 2026, newly bought IP riders can no longer cover the mandatory deductible. That single rule changes the maths for everyone buying a fresh rider this year.
The old Raffles Key Rider used a 5% co-payment capped at S$3,000 per policy year for pre-authorised treatment, and it could absorb part of the deductible. The new Raffles Choice Rider keeps a 5% co-payment on the amount after the deductible but caps it at S$6,000 per policy year for panel, Extended Panel or restructured-hospital specialists, and it does not cover the deductible at all. It also covers up to S$5,000 for non-CDL (non-standard drug list) cancer treatment.
Raffles positions the Choice Rider as roughly 50% cheaper than the Key Rider was, the trade-off being that you now carry the full deductible yourself and your co-payment cap is doubled to S$6,000. Existing Key Rider holders keep their plan; the change bites new buyers. For the wider rule on riders, read our note on the rider and the Integrated Shield Plan comparison across all seven insurers.
Raffles Shield is open to Singaporeans and PRs (and some foreigners with a valid pass), and applications go through health underwriting, so pre-existing conditions can be excluded or loaded. Pre- and post-hospitalisation cover is generous on the higher tiers: Private and A pay as charged for up to 180 days before and 365 days after admission, while B and Standard cover up to 90 days each side.
If you already hold another IP, you cannot stack two; you switch. Switching always resets underwriting, so any condition that appeared since your first IP may not carry over. That is the single most common mistake when people chase a cheaper premium, and it applies whether you move to Raffles or away from it.
Raffles Shield is the obvious pick if you want access to Raffles Hospital specifically, either through the Private plan or the cheaper Shield A plus Raffles Hospital option. It is also competitive at the Standard tier for people who only want public-ward cover at a low base premium.
If your priority is the widest panel of private hospitals or a particular insurer's wellness programme, weigh the alternatives first. For wellness-linked rebates, our AIA Vitality guide shows how a competing ecosystem works. Whichever insurer you land on, the 2026 rule that riders no longer cover the deductible means everyone now pays at least the first S$1,500 to S$3,500 of a hospital bill in cash.
Raffles Shield is the main product, but Raffles Health Insurance is the company. The company also sells riders and other policies, yet when people search for Raffles health insurance in Singapore they almost always mean the Raffles Shield Integrated Shield Plan that sits on top of MediShield Life.
Base-plan premiums for a healthy male aged 31-35 run from around S$62 a year for Standard up to around S$237 for Private as of June 2026, payable from MediSave. Premiums rise with age, and any rider is an extra cash cost on top, so always check the rider price separately.
Base premiums rose for the first time since 2018, several benefits were enhanced, the old Raffles Key Rider closed to new buyers, and the new Raffles Choice Rider launched with a 5% co-payment capped at S$6,000 a year. New riders also can no longer cover the deductible under MOH rules.
Yes, the base Raffles Shield plan can be paid with MediSave up to the Additional Withdrawal Limits set by the CPF Board. The rider portion, however, must be paid in cash because MediSave cannot fund riders, so budget for that recurring cash premium each year.
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.