Circumstances and Data on Cases where Hospitals Engage Authorised Debt Collection Agencies to Collect Arrears

Ms Hazel Poa asked the Minister for Health (a) in each year from 2011, what are the numbers and percentages of cases where hospitals engage authorised debt collection agencies to collect the arrears on their behalf; (b) under what circumstances will they do so; (c) what is the median hospital bill size and arrears owed in such cases; and (d) whether debt collection agencies will be engaged even when the patient is applying for MediFund and other forms of financial assistance.

From 2017 to 2021, the median number of bills followed up upon by collection agencies (CAs) was 194,740, which is 2.44% of the total bills. These outstanding bills had a median outstanding amount of $103.86.

CAs are engaged after patients have been unresponsive to reminders via SMS, phone calls and letters for around three months. Patients applying for financial assistance will not be followed up with by CAs.