How long does an insured person need to stay in a hospital to qualify to claim under a hospital plan? Many people may have the misconception that it is compulsory for them to stay at least overnight to be eligible to claim for hospitalisation expenses. Let’s look at the example below:

Ms. Chan experienced excessive bleeding and abdominal pain during menstruation. Her doctor recommended that she be admitted to hospital for dilation and curettage. Thinking that the minimum confinement period required for claiming against her medical insurance plan should be at least 24 hours, Ms. Chan was hospitalised overnight despite the fact that dilation and curettage is minor surgery and she could have been discharged 4 to 5 hours after the operation.

When Ms. Chan was discharged the next day, she filed her insurance claim, but it was rejected for the reason that there was no need for her to have stayed at the hospital overnight for dilation and curettage.

Generally speaking, dilation and curettage is covered by in-patient plans in most medical insurance. If a patient wishes to stay overnight after surgery for the sake of their own convenience, additional costs such as room and board expenses will be incurred. In this situation, an insurance company may reserve the right to reject the claim.

MSIG’s MediSure Plus insurance plan does not require a minimum confinement period. Using the case above as an example, MediSure Plus would provide coverage for Ms. Chan if she received minor surgery in hospital without staying overnight.

Some medical insurance policies in the market may have a requirement of a minimum confinement period, therefore, when considering non-emergency surgery, customers are advised to check the policy requirements with their insurance company before admission to ensure their surgery is covered.

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