Debated in Parliament on 7 May 2024.
Miss Rachel Ong asked the Minister for Health (a) whether the Ministry has data on the number of people who have had their applications for private medical insurance rejected in each year from 2015 to 2023; and (b) if so, what percentage of the rejected applications involve (i) people with mental health conditions, past or present and (ii) people with disabilities.
Miss Rachel Ong asked the Minister for Health (a) in the last 10 years, how many people have paid for hospital treatments without insurance coverage beyond MediShield Life and who are (i) people with mental health conditions, past or present or (ii) people with disabilities; and (b) what is the average cost of treatment paid by these two groups of people who are outside the coverage of MediShield Life insurance.
Unfortunately, the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Monetary Authority of Singapore do not collect data on the number of insurance application rejections. MOH also does not track the data that the Member asked for, such as the number of people with mental health conditions or disabilities who have paid for hospital treatments without insurance coverage beyond MediShield Life (MSHL).
Nevertheless, all Singaporeans and Permanent Residents are covered under MSHL from birth regardless of pre-existing conditions, including mental health conditions and disabilities. MSHL is designed to cover them well, so long as they seek subsidised healthcare in our public health institutions. Together, Government subsidies, MSHL, MediSave and, if necessary, MediFund, ensure that most Singapore Citizens pay very little cash out-of-pocket for subsidised care at public healthcare institutions.
What is in question are commercial insurance policies that accord protection over and above MSHL, such as for unsubsidised care in the private sector. These will be subject to the private underwriting arrangements of insurance companies.
PAPERCUTS