Update on Review of MediSave Limit

Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling asked the Minister for Health whether he can provide an update on the review of the MediSave withdrawal limit of $400 per year for (i) patients with chronic illnesses and (ii) those who require long-term special medication that are not subsidised.

Under the Chronic Disease Management Programme (CDMP), Singaporeans can use up to $400 per MediSave account per year to pay for their chronic disease treatment. Nineteen chronic conditions are covered under CDMP, which accounts for more than 90% of chronic attendances seen at polyclinics today.

The $400 CDMP limit was sufficient to fully cover the post-subsidy bill for nine in 10 subsidised patients with common chronic conditions at public healthcare institutions and participating Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) general practitioner (GP) clinics. At these institutions, elderly patients aged 65 and above may also tap on an additional $200 Flexi-MediSave each year to help pay for their outpatient treatments.

Patients with higher medical bills for chronic conditions can tap on the MediSave accounts of their spouse, children and parents, up to $400 per family member per year. To illustrate, an elderly patient with a spouse and two children could use up to $1,800 of MediSave per year for his chronic conditions, $600 from his own MediSave account and $400 each from his wife and children. If they still face financial difficulties, they can apply for MediFund at the polyclinics or subsidised specialist outpatient clinics in public hospitals. The Medication Assistance Fund is also available for needy patients who require long-term medication that are not on the Standard Drug List.

The Ministry of Health will continue to monitor the affordability of chronic disease care and regularly review the MediSave withdrawal limits.