Debated in Parliament on 4 Nov 2019.
Mr Gan Thiam Poh asked the Minister for Health (a) in each of the last 10 years, how many CPF account holders have exhausted their personal MediSave funds and managed to have support from immediate family members' MediSave for their medical treatment; and (b) how many have also exhausted their family members' MediSave funds or who have no family members to turn to and help has been given through MediFund.
In recent years, the Government has introduced a range of initiatives to help Singaporeans save for their healthcare needs. For example, we provide GSTV MediSave top-ups of up to $450 each year to Singapore citizens aged 65 years and above. Eligible seniors also receive annual MediSave top-ups of between $200 and $800 under the Pioneer Generation Package, and MediSave top-ups of $200 for five years between 2019 and 2023 under the Merdeka Generation Package.
Singaporeans can tap on their family members' MediSave to pay for their healthcare expenses, and do not need to exhaust their own MediSave accounts before doing so. The number of CPF members with MediSave balances of less than $100 and tapped on their family members' MediSave for their medical treatment is about 2% of all CPF members who utilised MediSave each year between 2016 and 2018.
MediFund is a safety net for patients who face financial difficulties with their medical bills after Government subsidies, MediShield Life and MediSave. Independent MediFund Committees consider each case holistically taking into consideration patients' circumstances, and patients are not required to fully exhaust their own or their family members' MediSave. As such, we do not track the number of Singaporeans who have received MediFund assistance because they have exhausted family members' MediSave or who have no family members.
PAPERCUTS