Debated in Parliament on 29 Jan 2015.
Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef asked the Minister for Health (a) whether the amount that can be used under the Flexi-Medisave Scheme for the elderly is over and above the total amount that they can use under the Chronic Disease Management Programme; and (b) whether there will be a list of items, prescriptions, investigations, tests and procedures for which the Flexi-Medisave amount can be utilised for.
The Minister of State for Health (Dr Lam Pin Min)(for the Minister for Health): Mdm Speaker, from 1 April 2015, we are introducing a new outpatient Flexi-Medisave scheme for the elderly aged 65 and above. This allows them to use up to $200 of Medisave a year for outpatient medical treatment at the public sector Specialist Outpatient Clinics (SOCs), polyclinics and GP clinics participating in the Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS). Together with the enhanced outpatient and drug subsidies for SOC, polyclinics and CHAS that were rolled out since 1 September last year, this means that the elderly will pay even less cash for their outpatient medical care.
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The $200 of Flexi-Medisave can also be used over and above other outpatient Medisave limits, such as the $400 annual limit for the Chronic Disease Management Programme, and the newly implemented $300 limit for outpatient scans.
Flexi-Medisave is meant to allow the elderly more flexibility in using Medisave for outpatient medical treatment. It is, thus, not restricted to a prescribed list. It will generally cover consultation fees, tests, drugs and other medical services needed to diagnose or treat a medical condition. However, to ensure prudent use of Medisave, Flexi-Medisave cannot be used for non-medical treatments, such as those for cosmetic or lifestyle purposes, or for non-essential items, such as retail skincare products. This helps to ensure that the elderly have enough Medisave for their healthcare needs during retirement.
Medisave is what Singaporeans have carefully saved up during their working years. Even as we continue to expand the use of Medisave, I would like to encourage all Singaporeans to use it wisely so that it is enough for their healthcare needs over a lifetime. MOH will continue to review Flexi-Medisave and Medisave use regularly, together with other healthcare financing policies, to ensure that outpatient care remains affordable to all Singaporeans.
One supplementary question, Madam. The Flexi-Medisave scheme can be used by an individual from his own account and it is also mentioned that it can be used from the spouse's account. I would like to ask the Minister of State if the Ministry can consider, in the review that is going to be continuously carried out, if they can use that $200 from their children's account or other family members' account because, sometimes, the spouses already have got depleted Medisave accounts and they themselves have medical problems.
Mdm Speaker, I would like to thank Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef for the suggestion. At this point in time, Flexi-Medisave is only limited to the patients' as well as the spouses' Medisave account. We will take into consideration her suggestion in subsequent reviews.
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