Debated in Parliament on 1 Apr 2019.
Mr Pritam Singh asked the Minister for Health for each year from 2015 to 2018 (a) how many Singaporeans and PRs paid more than $100 in cash after taking into account subsidies, MediShield Life and MediSave deductions arising from all subsidised hospitalisations; and (b) out of all these aforesaid subsidised hospitalisations, what was the average amount paid by each patient in cash.
Between 2015 to 2017, the latest year with available data, about eight in 10 subsidised hospitalisation bills were paid with $100 or less in cash.
As bill sizes vary depending significantly on the complexity of the treatment and length of stay, a median rather than an average is a more meaningful reflection of the cash payments for the remaining bills. As shown at Table 1, the median cash payment for these bills is about $500. There has been a reduction in the figure from 2015 to 2017 with the introduction of MediShield Life.
We will continue to review our healthcare financing framework regularly. No Singaporean will be denied appropriate healthcare because of affordability reasons. Singaporeans who have difficulty coping with their medical bills can apply through medical social workers in public healthcare institutions for additional MediFund support.
PAPERCUTS