I REFER to Mr Kaliannan Tamilselvam's letter last Friday, 'End exclusion penalty'.

He wrote that he underwent an angioplasty procedure while working for a company which covered him under an Aviva group health-care scheme. After he left the company, he was rejected by his former employer's insurer when he wanted to continue with the health insurance coverage.

He also wrote that he subsequently tried to get health insurance under NTUC Income, but was quoted a premium which was too high. We have contacted him to clarify that he had applied for life insurance and not health insurance.

For life insurance, a higher premium (or loading) was quoted in view of his pre-existing medical condition and previous medical procedures. NTUC Income's health insurance premium rates are uniform across age bands. While we may impose exclusions, we do not impose loadings for our IncomeShield health insurance plans.

Mr Tamilselvam's situation could have been avoided if he had been covered under a portable medical benefits scheme when he was with his previous company. A portable medical benefits scheme such as NTUC Income's Portable Group IncomeShield is designed to address the need for employees to continue to enjoy full health insurance protection even after they leave their employment for any reason. The premiums for these portable medical schemes can be partially or fully funded by employers.

As a social enterprise, NTUC Income's aim is to make essential insurance such as health insurance accessible, affordable and sustainable for all. Thus we have strongly advocated the benefits of portable medical schemes, which largely address the limitations of traditional group hospital and surgical insurance plans.

This article was first published in The Straits Times.