LIA Clarifies Scan Coverage in Forum Letter, Not a Data Release

What LIA Has Just Published

On 2 January 2023, the Life Insurance Association, Singapore (LIA) published a forum letter response to The Straits Times, titled "Endoscopies and CT scans covered by different insurance policies." It was written by Lee Swee Kiang, Executive Director of LIA, and responds to a letter from a member of the public, Mr Khong Kian Hoon, published on 23 December under the heading "Scans treated differently by insurers."

This is a consumer-education letter, not an industry results publication. It contains no new business figures, no claims statistics and no premium data.

What the Letter Says

The letter explains how hospitalisation plans treat two types of scans:

• Endoscopies: Many hospitalisation plans cover endoscopies. However, endoscopies performed as part of health screenings — whether elective or unrelated to the condition being treated — are not covered "in any instance."
• CT scans: Hospitalisation plans may cover pre-hospitalisation tests such as CT scans if they relate to hospitalisation for treatment of an illness or injury, even where surgery is not required. Separately, CT scans "on their own" may be covered by outpatient insurance policies.

LIA frames this split as deliberate: providing policies with specific coverage for different scans is described as "one way in which individuals' needs are addressed and premium rates managed." The letter closes by encouraging consumers to speak with financial adviser representatives and/or insurers to understand coverage before buying a policy or undergoing medical tests or treatments.

What This Means for a Consumer

The practical point is that "covered by insurance" depends on why the scan is done and which policy type is involved. A diagnostic CT scan tied to a hospital admission sits in a different category from a screening endoscopy with no underlying illness. The letter does not quantify how much any policy pays, nor does it name specific products or insurers.

Context: A Different Kind of Publication

The material provided does not support a quarter-on-quarter or year-on-year comparison for this letter. LIA's regular data publications in the supplied set — the 1H 2026 results (12 August 2026), the Q1 2026 results (13 May 2026), the full-year 2025 results (11 February 2026) and the YTD Q3 2025 results (12 November 2025) — report new business premiums, claims payouts and policy counts. None of them reports on endoscopy or CT scan coverage, so no trend in the figures can be drawn from this letter, and none should be inferred.

What can be observed is continuity in LIA's framing. The supplied set includes several earlier forum letters on healthcare coverage: 10 October 2025 (Integrated Shield Plan panels and access to care), 30 June 2025 (pre-authorisation, panel doctors and affordability), 24 April 2025 (advisers, preventive treatments and IP scope) and 27 April 2026 (balancing coverage with long-term affordability). The recurring themes are that coverage is defined by medical necessity and policy terms, that broader coverage carries higher cost, and that consumers should check with an adviser before committing.

The 2 January 2023 letter fits that pattern. Its distinctive element is granularity: it addresses two specific procedures and distinguishes inpatient from outpatient settings, rather than discussing the health insurance system as a whole.

Caveat

This is general information and commentary on LIA's own publication. It is not financial advice. Consumers uncertain about whether a particular scan is covered should check their policy terms with their insurer or a qualified financial adviser representative, as the letter itself recommends.