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Medisave use to be expanded

SINGAPORE — Medisave use will be expanded and become more flexible, said Health Minister Gan Kim Yong today in Parliament.

From September, lower- and middle-income earners will receive a subsidy of up to 70 per cent for outpatient specialist care. Photo: Reuters

From September, lower- and middle-income earners will receive a subsidy of up to 70 per cent for outpatient specialist care. Photo: Reuters

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SINGAPORE — Medisave use will be expanded and become more flexible, said Health Minister Gan Kim Yong today in Parliament.

A new Flexi-Medisave scheme will be introduced, to allow the elderly to use up to S$200 per year from their accounts for outpatient treatments at Specialist Outpatient Clinics, polyclinics and clinics participating in the Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS). This means they will be able to use Medisave when seeing a CHAS general practitioner for a cough or cold, for instance. The Government hopes to have this scheme ready by the first half of next year, and will work out details in the next few months, said Mr Gan.

A requirement that chronic disease patients pay the first S$30 of each bill before being able to tap Medisave will also be removed. To take place from July, this move will reduce patients’ cash outlay.

In his speech at the Ministry of Health’s Committee of Supply debate, Mr Gan outlined other plans to address healthcare affordability.

Besides enhanced subsidies for Singaporeans at Specialist Outpatient Clinics announced during the Budget last month, subsidies will be increased for drugs at polyclinics and the SOCs from next year. Lower- to middle-income patients will get a 75 per cent subsidy for all standard drugs, a change from the current system where the drugs are either capped at a price of S$1.40 per week or subsidised at 50 per cent of the retail price. Subsidies will also be extended to more drugs, said Mr Gan.

On MediShield insurance scheme, he said the Government intends to support most of the initial costs of universal coverage under MediShield Life, which will be rolled out next year.

The MediShield Life Review Committee is still at work, but Mr Gan said older Singaporeans aged 55 to 64 (who are not part of the Pioneer Generation Package) will see no net increase in premiums after various subsidies and top-ups by the Government.

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