One of the main criteria to hire a domestic helper in Singapore is the need for buying maid insurance. There are some factors one should look at before choosing insurance. In Singapore, it’s compulsory to buy maid insurance for foreign domestic helpers. Maid insurance policy is a type of insurance policy that covers any accidents and medical care charges assisted by the helpers during their duties.
Guidelines
The Ministry of Manpower or MOM has their specific guidelines for maid policy which is compulsory and that each foreign domestic helper must have:
- it covers S$60,000 per annum in a personal accident scheme.
- Hospital coverage of at least S$15,000 per annum which also includes day surgery expenses.
- it also guarantees a security bond of S$5,000 for foreign domestic helpers.
The insurance acts as a guard or protection to the worker and her family, with a large amount of compensation if she suffers from permanent disability or death due to an accident. The prime concern is to pay an amount to your maid or her family. There are also many domestic helper insurance promotion.
Policy structure of maid insurance as a whole
In general, most insurance companies offer a plan either of 14- or 26-months’ time period with options to pick up various add-ons or tiers. Thus buying price may vary. A big question comes to mind when we hear the period, 14 and 26 months instead of being 12 and 24 months.
The additional two months of coverage is nonchargeable as per by the MOM. It insure your helper an add-on for two months after the expiry of her work contract, in case her recovery may not be immediate.
There are 2 plans for maid insurance schemes available in the market – 14 and 26 months. If you’re confused in choosing the best for you and your foreign domestic helper, opt for buying a 14-month insurance plan first. Although buying a 26-month plan is less expensive and can even get discounts on it.
Most plans also ensue a letter of the contract to both the holders for the mandatory S$5,000 security bond, as required by the MOM. There are also many benefits of cancer critical illness insurance.
Does the plan have sufficient coverage for Singaporeans
As it is mandatory to satisfy the basic requirements as authorized by the Ministry of Manpower, most employers feel fulfilled by the coverage. Perhaps it may not be true in all cases. If you want to save money in the long run always give a look at the add-on given by the insurance companies.
Benefits
Some of the key benefits offered by the insurance companies for the coverage are :
Benefit 1: Coverage of personal belongings
It claims coverage of domestic helper’s personal belongings such as laptops, smartphones, jewelry in case it is robbed or damaged.
Benefit 2: Replacement of Maid
The agency covers an amount for a replacement due to termination or due to the death or permanent disability of your domestic helper.
Benefit 3: Resumption of expenses
The insurance covers a payout to your maid if she is permanently disabled or if she dies. A repatriation payout covers the journey to her homeland and T
The process can be rather expensive, if uninsured.
Benefit 4: Compensation of wages
It covers wages when your maid is hospitalized and is unable to work. And also sometimes offer you to get a part-time helper for a certain amount of time depending on the policy.
Benefit 5: Outpatient Expenses
Outpatient expenses are not a prerequisite by the general policy of MOM, so it is necessary to know how much it covers in the event that outpatient treatment is needing.
Benefit 6: Liability of the third party
This provides security against any expenses sustained as a result of accident or injury committed by your maid to any third parties as well as damages of any kind of properties belonging to third parties.
Benefit 7: Robbery
The insurance guarantee protection to your personal and your family’s properties from stealing execution by your domestic helper.
Take a note
Like all insurance scheme, there are many elements which are not covered by insurers, such as – no cover for any psychiatric, general diseases, pregnancy, or suicide-related expenses.
Moreover, the coverage for permanent disability is also limited. The reimbursement depends on the seriousness of the dysfunction of the body, ranging from the loss of a hand to total body paralysis. Research well for domestic helper insurance promotion.
Compare Maid Insurance Plans
An employer is required to get a bond for each and every foreign helper who are hired. This security bond is a binding undertakes to pay the authority of the nation a stipulated sum if the law or the conditions governing the employment of a helper is violated.
Every employer is responsible for the returning of the domestic helper to her home country after her contract ends. Suppose the domestic helper is not sent back to her own country after her contract has expired, the employer will be penalized by the $5,000 bond deposit.
If you’re recruiting a Filipino domestic maid, a payment of $2,000 or $7,000 bond deposit should be done to the Embassy of The Philippines. If she is hired through an accredited agency, you need to pay $2,000.
In the process of hiring a foreign domestic helper the MOM’s security bond and maid insurance are included as a package thus ensuring a hassle-free buying for the insurer. The bond starts on the exact arrival date of her otherwise her entry into Singapore will be canceled and the employer would have to pay to send her way back home.
If there is any breach of MOM’s rules, the MOM will first lay claim to the bond from the insurer. Next, the employer has to pay the $5,000 to the insurer. The coverage and the process to claim for cancer critical illness insurance is different.
Find the best policy for maid insurance
Any employer hiring a helper for the first time may buy maid insurance through a maid agency which is the easiest possibility. However, the insurance scheme suggested by the agency may not always be the perfect one.
Searching online and comparing the best maid insurance policies – and applying eventually is the best. Though it can take a lot of time it does save money. Since getting, maid insurance sometimes needs you to make a trip to the company to sign some papers and you may have to also pay for middlemen fees and commissions which are not at all required online.
Most maid insurance plans are categorized into 3 level tiers basic, mid, and top levels based on price and coverage plans. Mainly the higher the tier, the more coverage it provides.
- Basic Tier: you can opt for this if you are a budget-conscious person and are willing to do with the extra coverage provided by more costly insurance plans. Most basic plans go around $260 for a 26-month policy, which works out to be about $10/month.
- Mid-Tier: Mid-tier plans offer wider coverage at an affordable rate and are value for money. Normally an average premium for a mid-tier plan costs around $320 for a 26-month policy, which works out to be around $12.30/month. Somehow if the domestic helper falls sick and unable to do the work, ends up in a hospital you’ll be covered for up to $30/day in wage compensation. Besides no need to worry about her medical bills as it will also be taken care of by the insurance.
- Top-Tier: Top-tier maid insurance policies generally have extensive coverage and higher settlements. It also does coverage for theft which is also a prime concern, look for a top-tier insurance policy with a liberal payout.
The bottom line
The above-mentioned points are the basic things that you need to know when buying domestic helper insurance. This will help both the employers and the helpers to get all essential bits of help during the time of any emergency.
