Debated in Parliament on 6 Nov 2017.
Mr Zainal Sapari asked the Minister for Health (a) what are the number and percentage of women who have exceeded their MediSave claimable limit under the MediSave Maternity Package in the last two years; (b) what are the reasons why the hospitalisation cost exceeds the MediSave claimable limit; and (c) whether greater flexibility can be given to the CPF account holder paying for the hospitalisation cost to utilise the MediSave beyond the claimable limit for operations arising from complications during delivery.
The MediSave Maternity Package is sized to be adequate for subsidised care. Patients can claim up to $900 for pre-delivery bills, and up to $450 per day for hospitalisation, while claim limits for delivery procedure ranges from $750 for a normal vaginal delivery to $2,150 for a more complicated delivery, such as caesarian birth.
Over the last two years, the package fully covered three in four subsidised deliveries, resulting in zero out-of-pocket payment by the patients. Eight in 10 subsidised deliveries had an out-of-pocket payment of $500 or less.
Patients who face financial difficulties may approach medical social workers at our public healthcare institutions for assistance and we will consider each appeal on a case-by-case basis.
PAPERCUTS