When Singapore employers think about hiring foreign workers, their attention usually goes to the pass itself – the quota, the levy, the qualifying salary. But there is a parallel obligation that is easy to overlook and expensive to get wrong: the employer’s duty to provide adequate healthcare cover for their migrant workers. In recent years Singapore has significantly strengthened these requirements, raising the minimum medical insurance sum and rolling out the mandatory Primary Care Plan for eligible workers.
This guide explains, as at 2026, the medical insurance and Primary Care Plan (PCP) obligations that Singapore employers owe to Work Permit and S Pass holders – what the minimums are, who the PCP applies to, and how to stay compliant. It is written for employers, HR teams and the business owners who ultimately carry these responsibilities.
Why employers carry the healthcare burden
Under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act and its work-pass conditions, employers – not the worker – are responsible for the upkeep and medical care of their migrant workers. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) sets minimum standards precisely because these workers may otherwise have limited means to cover a large hospital bill. Getting this wrong is not just a moral failure; breaching work-pass conditions can lead to penalties, and to difficulties renewing passes or hiring in future. For the broader employer duties attached to these passes, see our complete Work Permit employer’s guide and our S Pass eligibility guide.
Mandatory medical insurance
The minimum coverage
Employers must buy and maintain medical insurance for inpatient care and day surgery for each Work Permit and S Pass holder they employ. Singapore raised this minimum in recent years, and as at 2026 the required coverage is at least S$60,000 per year per worker (up from the older S$15,000 floor). The insurance covers inpatient hospitalisation and day surgery, including conditions that may not be work-related.
The co-payment structure
Alongside the higher coverage, Singapore introduced a co-payment model designed to encourage more appropriate use of healthcare and keep premiums sustainable. Under this structure, insurers co-share the portion of large bills above a threshold, which affects how claims are met but does not reduce the employer’s core duty to maintain the required cover. Because the exact figures and mechanics have been adjusted over successive years, employers should confirm the current requirements directly with MOM before renewing policies.
The Primary Care Plan (PCP)
What the PCP is
The Primary Care Plan is a mandatory, prepaid primary healthcare scheme for eligible migrant workers. Where medical insurance deals with big-ticket inpatient events, the PCP is aimed at everyday, first-line healthcare: acute and chronic medical consultations, basic health screening, 24/7 telemedicine access, medical examinations for pass application or renewal, and, in the relevant sectors, scheduled transport to and from dormitories and MOM medical facilities. The goal is to give workers convenient, cost-effective access to primary care close to where they live.
Who the PCP applies to
The PCP is targeted at migrant workers in the higher-density living and working environments where coordinated primary care matters most – in particular, Work Permit holders (other than migrant domestic workers) living in dormitories and those in the Construction, Marine Shipyard and Process (CMP) sectors, together with S Pass holders in those settings. It is not available to Singapore Citizens, Permanent Residents, or holders of other passes such as the Employment Pass or a Dependant’s Pass with a Letter of Consent. Employers of eligible workers must purchase the PCP for them.
How employers buy it
Employers purchase a PCP for each eligible worker from the appointed regional healthcare operator serving their sector or dormitory zone. The plan is typically bought annually and aligned with the worker’s pass. As with medical insurance, the precise coverage, providers and pricing are set administratively and updated over time, so always work from MOM’s current guidance rather than older figures.
How medical insurance and the PCP fit together
The two obligations are complementary, not alternatives. Think of it as two layers of a single safety net:
- Medical insurance covers the expensive, less frequent events – hospitalisation and day surgery – up to at least S$60,000 a year.
- The Primary Care Plan covers the frequent, lower-cost, everyday care – GP visits, chronic disease management, screening and telemedicine.
An employer of eligible workers must provide both. Providing one does not discharge the duty to provide the other.
Other related employer duties
Healthcare cover sits within a wider set of employer obligations for foreign workers, including levy payment, safe and acceptable housing, timely salary payment, and repatriation responsibilities. Employers should budget for the levy alongside these healthcare costs – see our guide to the Foreign Worker Levy. Treating medical cover as part of the total cost of employing a foreign worker – rather than an afterthought – keeps you compliant and avoids unpleasant surprises at renewal.
Compliance checklist for employers
- Buy medical insurance of at least S$60,000 per year for each Work Permit and S Pass holder, covering inpatient care and day surgery.
- Ensure the policy meets the current co-payment and coverage requirements set by MOM.
- Purchase the Primary Care Plan for every eligible worker (dormitory residents and CMP-sector workers).
- Renew both in line with the worker’s pass, and keep proof of cover.
- Verify current sums, thresholds and providers with MOM at each renewal, as these are periodically updated.
Providing proper healthcare cover is both a legal duty and simply good employment practice. Workers who can see a doctor early and are protected against catastrophic bills are healthier, more productive and more loyal – and the employer stays firmly on the right side of MOM’s rules.
Raffles Corporate Services, through our licensed employment-agency arm, helps Singapore employers manage work-pass applications and renewals and stay on top of the employer obligations that come with them – including medical insurance and Primary Care Plan requirements. Get the compliance right once and it runs quietly in the background.
— The Editorial Team, Raffles Corporate Services