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Allow use of Medisave for the elderly’s health needs

I refer to Health Minister Gan Kim Yong’s comments on the use of Medisave for the elderly (“Seniors ‘need not worry’ about affordability of healthcare”; Jan 24).

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Vijayan Nambiar

I refer to Health Minister Gan Kim Yong’s comments on the use of Medisave for the elderly (“Seniors ‘need not worry’ about affordability of healthcare”; Jan 24).

I wanted to use my Medisave recently to pay for some outpatient costs for elderly family members but was disappointed to learn that I had to pay in cash even though I have thousands of dollars in Medisave.

As some account holders have insurance that may cover up to 90 per cent of hospitalisation expenses, much of their money in Medisave would likely be unused at the point of death.

There are many outpatient healthcare expenses (non-cosmetic) that are not covered by Medisave. These are not cheap, and I think they would be a financial burden for most average-income families, let alone the elderly with no income.

These include, say, the purchase of a S$2,000 Continuous Positive Airway Pressure machine for a 65-year-old with sleep apnoea, or a S$1,000 hearing aid or a magnetic resonance imaging scan for back or joint problems, which could cost S$350 to S$500.

These are medical problems faced by many average families. Even though family members may have the money in their Medisave accounts, they are not allowed to use it in many instances to ease the burden.

Yet we are allowed to risk thousands of dollars of our Central Provident Fund nest egg on various investment instruments. This is illogical and priorities need to be reviewed.

We are not asking for an increase in subsidies, but rather the right to use our Medisave money to help defray the costs of essential, non-cosmetic healthcare needs. It is time that we review our healthcare policies and make them more caring and logical.

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