Jq1130, let me see if I can be a little more specific....
Let's assume that the cost of quality, essential healthcare in Malaysia is moderate but that it can still be expensive relative to your income and wealth. (You did say that you had financial problems causing you drop coverage in Malaysia.) In other words, you really don't feel comfortable (or are not able) to pay entirely out of pocket for quality, essential healthcare either in Singapore or Malaysia. So you need (or at least would need) medical insurance of some kind, at least in Malaysia. Is that correct?
OK, you've confirmed you're on a Work Permit, but S Passes operate the same way for the purposes I'm about to describe. Even though your employer has communicated to you particular insurance limits, your employer is, in fact, legally required to cover ALL your medically necessary expenses without limit while you're an employee. Quoting the Ministry of Manpower: "Under the Conditions of Work Permits, employers are responsible for and shall bear the costs of the upkeep and maintenance of their Work Permit and S Pass holders, including the provision of medical treatment." That includes inpatient and outpatient care, and only a small co-pay never to exceed 10% of your wages is sometimes possible.
Your employer may have communicated to you the limits of their medical insurance coverage. Work Permit and S Pass employers must maintain at least minimum medical insurance on each and every such employee. However, employers of Work Permit and S Pass holders have (in principle) unlimited legal liability for legitimate, medically necessary care. You should know your legal rights. Please note: air conditioned hospital wards, lobster hospital dinners, and private medical providers are among the many expenses that are not medically necessary and not your employer's responsibility.
You can count on your employer paying for only the cheapest (and non-air conditioned) hospital ward your employer can find in Singapore. So the basic reason you might want to get NTUC Income's public hospital B1 ward Integrated Shield plan, assuming NTUC Income will cover "independent" foreign workers (foreign workers who are not dependent on Singaporean citizens or Permanent Residents), is that you'd be able to afford some more comfort (i.e. a public hospital 4 bedded air conditioned ward) and get to choose your doctors if/when you need medical care in Singapore. Is that comfort upgrade worth nearly S$500 per year? Maybe, but it's up to you.
One huge problem is that your employer is surely going to fire you when you're medically unfit, and then you're headed back to Malaysia as soon as you're medically fit to travel. It's legal for your employer to terminate your employment in such scenarios. Your employer is only legally required to cover your medical bills in Singapore for your essential, medically necessary care, but your employer isn't required to keep you on. Moreover, an Integrated Shield plan includes the policy condition that you must have a valid pass or permit. Once your employer cancels your Work Permit (or S Pass), you don't have a valid pass or permit, and your coverage ends. (Please check the precise policy wording, but it'll be words to that effect.)
All of this means you should properly plan for "What happens when I go back to Malaysia, and I'm only medically fit to travel, but not necessarily healthy?" Some patients in comas are medically fit to travel; it's a pretty low bar to clear, especially for repatriation to Malaysia which is an ambulance ride away.
Like I said, I don't know what the Malaysian medical system is like, so I cannot offer any country specific advice. But here's some general advice. Basically, if returning Malaysian expats can immediately get decent or better medical coverage without preexisting condition limitations and without waiting periods, then you should be OK. Otherwise, if you're going to be barred from at least decent coverage because of a preexisting condition, or have to undergo some sort of waiting period upon your return, then it's a problem. Do you happen to know what the arrangement is for returning Malaysian expats?
It's good that you're exploring these "What if?" scenarios. As it happens, I think Disability Income Insurance (DII) could well be a higher priority than Integrated Shield coverage in Singapore, which really amounts to a "comfort upgrade" for you as far as I can tell now that I look at it even more closely.
Hence it's definitely relevant to what jq1130 is asking as an agent would provide such services. Anyways to each its own. Like I mentioned, if you like to do everything yourself to save cost then go ahead. On the other hand, some people would be happy to pay a fee for service rendered. No right or wrong.
