What are the different insurances I should buy for my mum? She is 53yrs old, on LTVP here in Singapore (so no CPF cover). She is a homemaker.?

Hello anon,

Here are my thoughts:

• Health insurance - definitely needed & i think you already understand why too so I'll not go into details here

• Disability - Since your mother is a homemaker, & so I'm assuming she does not have income, then in my opinion you can save on the disability income insurance. Go for total & permanent disability (TPD) protection instead, this usually comes as a benefit with Life Plans

• CI - for the more comprehensive CI plans, at her age, it's going to be quite costly. Taking budget into consideration, alternatives are to 1) get CI riders together with a life plan, OR 2) other standalone plans that covers specific CIs only - for e.g. covers multi-stages Major Cancers. (here, not all CIs are included, but at least your mom will still be protected for the more common and "likely-to-happen" CIs like Cancers)

• Life - Following from above 2 points & if your mom wants protection for both TPD & CI, getting a life plan would be appropriate here since it will cover death/TPD + CI

• P.A. - not exactly the highest priority for a homemaker; but I'll still say it's good to have so she can claim for accidental medical reimbursements esp at her age where she could be prone to accidents (falls/sprains, kitchen cuts/burns). And it's not that costly. Unlike hospital plans, PA also does not require one to be hospitalised to claim for certain treatments.

so in summary, no need for disability income, i would say go for health insurance, a life plan (with CI & TPD riders), and PA. & yes, as mentioned by C Tan previously, pre-existing conditions are usually either not covered, or they impose loading (so premiums are higher) due to increased risk that they are taking on.

Kinda long answer, but hope this helps!

Yes pre-existing conditions are not covered. Because these increase the risk to the insurers. However, depends on the severity of the condition, some insurers may just impose loading instead of total exclusions.

CI, Disability, and PA are all "sold separately"; there's no one product that covers all 3.

Most people who buy insurance generally buy them to protect them against income loss as a result of unforeseen circumstances, be it CI, TPD or premature death. Since she's a homemaker, you will need to decide if all the plans are indeed necessary. I'd suggest that minimally, get a Medical (covers hospitalisation and surgical), and PA insurance, one that covers outpatient, old age prone accidents and infectious disease.

The agent / advisor you speak with should be able to advise in detail. Look for one who can, if the one you spoke to couldn't help on this.

Hope this helps.