Is foreign worker medical insurance compulsory in Singapore?

Yes. The Ministry of Manpower requires employers to provide medical insurance for every Work Permit and S Pass holder, with annual coverage of at least S$60,000 per worker for inpatient care and day surgery (including pre-existing conditions and conditions unrelated to employment). The minimum was raised from S$15,000 to S$60,000 in two stages between 2022 and 2023.

Does foreign worker medical insurance cover outpatient GP visits?

The MOM-mandated cover is inpatient and day-surgery only. Outpatient GP visits, specialist consultations and prescriptions are not part of the statutory minimum. Many employers buy a separate outpatient plan, or upgrade the worker plan to include outpatient cover, to keep workers productive and at home rather than admitted.

What is the difference between foreign worker medical insurance and WICA?

Foreign worker medical insurance is medical cover — it pays the hospital bill regardless of whether the illness or injury is work-related. WICA is a no-fault workers' compensation scheme that pays medical expenses, lost wages and lump-sum compensation only for work-related injury or occupational disease. Employers of foreign manual workers and lower-earning non-manual workers must hold both: foreign worker medical (any cause) and WICA (work-caused).

Who pays the foreign worker medical insurance premium?

The employer pays the premium. The Employment of Foreign Manpower Act prohibits employers from recovering the cost of the worker's medical insurance from the worker's salary or kickback arrangements. The premium is a non-recoverable business cost.

Can I buy a single policy covering all my foreign workers?

Yes. Group foreign-worker medical policies are the norm in Singapore — one master policy with the worker headcount declared at inception and adjusted at renewal. Construction, manufacturing, marine and conservancy employers with high headcount typically pay per-capita premiums from the low hundreds of dollars per worker per year, with mid-term additions and deletions handled by short premium adjustments.

Foreign Worker Medical Insurance Singapore

The MOM rule

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) requires every Singapore employer to provide medical insurance for each Work Permit and S Pass holder employed in Singapore. The current minimum is S$60,000 per worker per year for inpatient care and day surgery. The minimum applies whether the medical condition is work-related or not, and whether it pre-existed the employment or arose during it.

The S$60,000 floor was raised from the previous S$15,000 minimum in two stages. The policy must be active for the entire duration the worker is in Singapore on the work pass — including periods of medical leave or pre-repatriation.

What is covered

The MOM-mandated coverage scope is:

Inpatient hospitalisation expenses in a Singapore hospital.
Day surgery and same-day procedures.
Pre-existing conditions, whether disclosed at inception or discovered later.
Conditions unrelated to the employment.
Medical conditions arising overseas if the worker is hospitalised outside Singapore during the policy term.

The first S$15,000 of any claim must be borne by the insurer; the employer can be made responsible for amounts above S$15,000, depending on the policy structure and whether the condition is work-related. Many insurers offer a single policy that pays the full S$60,000 with no employer co-pay layer, which is the cleanest construction.

What is excluded from the MOM cover

The mandated cover is inpatient and day-surgery only. The following are not part of the statutory minimum and are typically excluded from a basic foreign-worker medical policy:

GP outpatient consultations and prescriptions.
Specialist outpatient consultations.
Dental and optical care.
Maternity (Work Permit holders may not become pregnant under EFMA conditions of work).
Cosmetic surgery.
Wilful self-injury and substance abuse.

Many employers add an outpatient plan to keep workers at the polyclinic or GP rather than the hospital — both for the worker's welfare and to reduce inpatient claims.

Premium ranges and how rating works

Foreign worker medical premiums are rated against:

Trade classification (construction and marine attract higher rates than office work).
Worker age band — older workers attract higher inpatient claim frequency.
Claims history of the employer's portfolio.
Whether outpatient and pre / post-hospitalisation are added.
Whether the policy includes a co-pay or full first-dollar cover.

Indicative annual per-worker premium for MOM-minimum inpatient cover sits in the low hundreds of dollars for office-class workers, and higher for construction and marine trades. Adding outpatient cover roughly doubles the premium for most employer profiles.

Pairing with WICA

Foreign worker medical and WICA are different schemes covering different things. For every Work Permit and S Pass holder who is a manual worker (or who earns S$2,600 or less per month), employers must hold both:

WICA for work-related injury or occupational disease — pays statutory medical, wage and lump-sum benefits regardless of fault.
Foreign worker medical for any cause — pays inpatient hospital bills whether the condition is work-related or not, including pre-existing conditions.

Most insurers will bundle the two on a single account with aligned renewal dates, which simplifies administration and avoids gaps when a worker transitions between roles. See our WICA insurance page for the work-injury side.