Singaporeans will be able to claim more for hospital stays, and get coverage for additional outpatient treatments as well as certain new groundbreaking therapies from their MediShield Life policies, when changes kick in progressively from April 2025.
Inpatient daily claim limits for the first two days of a normal ward stay will rise to $1,630, from $1,000, for instance, while that of intensive care unit (ICU) stays will more than double to $5,140. The policy year claim limit will also be pushed up to $200,000, from $150,000, said the Ministry of Health (MOH), in accepting recommendations from the council tasked with ensuring that MediShield Life is effective.
Premiums for the mandatory national insurance scheme will rise as a result, especially for older Singaporeans, although over nine in 10 people will get help to more than offset these increases. Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said the changes and support measures will strengthen the MediShield Life and MediSave systems, which, when combined, have worked well for Singapore. There are countries that focus a lot on healthcare subsidies, which are funded by taxation, but that causes excess demand. Waiting time becomes very long in hospitals and clinics, and while the care is very affordable, it is not very accessible, he explained.
“There are also other countries that then focus a lot on insurance, and excess demand becomes much less of a problem. Instead, affordability becomes an issue for those who are not insured.
“It is very important that these two safety nets work hand in hand,” he told the media in an interview at MOH headquarters.
The first review of MediShield Life in four years has recommended that premiums be increased amid rising healthcare costs, and outpatient coverage be enhanced significantly given that healthcare delivery is increasingly shifting from hospitals to outpatient, community and home settings.
Esta historia es de la edición October 16, 2024 de The Straits Times.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición October 16, 2024 de The Straits Times.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Jung Ho-yeon takes on Hollywood in Disclaimer
The drama series marks the Squid Game star's first English-speaking role
French pianist Helene Grimaud plays with time
Acclaimed French classical pianist Helene Grimaud, who has earned a reputation for playing by her own rules, thinks there should be no contradiction between freedom and fidelity.
Eisner Award winner submitted her comic as practice
Erica Eng submitted her web comic Fried Rice for the Eisner Awards on a whim in 2020.
Two-time Booker Prize nominee almost gave up writing
Acclaimed Canadian novelist Esi Edugyan has had first-hand encounters with the vagaries of the publishing and book-selling worlds.
A frank, and funny, work about the female body
Cat Bohannon wrote her best-selling non-fiction debut Eve: How The Female Body Drove 200 Million Years Of Human Evolution (2023) while also having two children, completing a doctorate and surviving the Covid-19 pandemic.
SILAT WILL MOVE 'UPHILL'
SSF chief plans to improve governance, selection process and coaching quality
One C'ship lets go of 'a few dozen employees'
Mixed martial arts (MMA) organisation One Championship has laid off a number of employees - including those from its Singapore headquarters - on Oct 16.
EPL pays highest price for injuries
Players in Germany's Bundesliga are most likely to be injured among Europe's top five domestic leagues, but the English Premier League bears the most injury-related costs, according to a report published on Oct 16.
Cantona slams 'scandalous' decision to axe Ferguson
Manchester United's most successful manager Alex Ferguson will step down as a global ambassador after the club's part-owners Ineos ended his multi-million pound contract.
PROFLIGATE PORTUGAL LACK MAGIC: COACH
Martinez's men can't find way past stubborn Scotland, but have one hand on q-final spot