New Medisave scheme to help seniors to start in April
An Agency for Integrated Care staff (right) explaining how a ‘localised’ map — a pilot scheme designed to help residents locate the right services for their healthcare needs in Tampines — works during the CHAS Family Carnival at Tampines Community Plaza yesterday. Photo: Ooi Boon Keong
SINGAPORE — Come April, Singaporeans aged 65 and above will be able to tap Medisave to further defray their out-of-pocket medical costs when they visit neighbourhood clinics for minor ailments such as the common cold and cough.
First announced during the Ministry of Health’s Committee of Supply debate last year, the new Flexi-Medisave scheme will allow senior citizens to use up to S$200 a year from their Medisave accounts for outpatient treatment at polyclinics, general practitioner clinics under the Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) and Specialist Outpatient Clinics at public hospitals.
While Medisave was designed to help with large hospital bills and its use for outpatient medical expenses has been limited — for certain chronic conditions, for instance — the new scheme will allow seniors to use the monies for conditions such as eczema and thyroid.
Those who do not have enough funds in their Medisave accounts can tap their spouses’ accounts, provided their partners are also aged 65 and above. Seniors who have reached the limits of the current allowed uses of Medisave can also use their Flexi-Medisave allowance to pay their remaining bills. Currently, Singaporeans can use up to S$400 a year for chronic diseases and certain screenings and vaccinations, up to S$600 for outpatient scans for cancer and up to S$300 for non-cancer related scans.
Revealing details of the scheme at the CHAS Family Carnival at Tampines Community Plaza yesterday, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said: “The elderly is a special group. They have either retired or for those who still work, work and earn less, but incur high healthcare expenses ... their concerns are mostly focused on recurring outpatient care and many have asked to be able to use their Medisave more easily.”
The new scheme is the latest in a series of measures by the Government to loosen restrictions on the use of Medisave, such as by expanding the list of chronic diseases covered last year to include conditions such as Parkinson’s disease and osteoarthritis.
Last year, the Government also dropped the requirement that patients with chronic diseases pay the first S$30 of each bill before being able to tap into Medisave to reduce patients’ cash outlay.
Mr Gan said the Government would continue to allow Medisave for more uses, starting with areas on which it has received “the most feedback”.
He added: “Even as we continue to make Medisave use much more flexible, we encourage everyone to spend every Medisave dollar wisely, so it remains sufficient for your healthcare needs over a lifetime. An additional S$200 of Medisave use goes a long way to defray the cost of subsidised outpatient treatment.”
Tanjong Pagar GRC Member of Parliament (MP) Chia Shi-Lu, who heads the Government Parliamentary Committee for Health, said the scheme should eventually be opened to other age groups to allow people to have more control over their Medisave.
“The Government will have to monitor the public’s response and from there, decide how to expand (the scheme),” Dr Chia said.
Dr Jeremy Lim, who heads the Asia-Pacific health and life sciences practice for global consultancy firm Oliver Wyman, said the claimable amount should also be increased. “The amount is modest, especially if it is used for a chronic condition,” he said.
Nonetheless, he noted the amount was meant to be “supplemental” and used together with other schemes, and “cautious starts” to policy were typical of how the Government works.
“Finally, this scheme is meant only for those older than 65 years of age, the age group where ongoing topping-up of Medisave accounts from employment is less likely. Therefore, the MOH is understandably cautious about the premature depletion of the Medisave monies,” he said.
Dr Chia noted that for the pioneer generation, the annual Medisave top-ups they receive for life should stave off the possibility of the new scheme depleting their Medisave accounts.
