in pm lee hsien loong's national day rally speech, he shared that the government will extend subsidies for medication and for patients to seek medical care at their local GPs and dentists which should come into effect early next year.
what are the changes to the current schemes?
a. primary care partnership scheme (subsidised consultants at private GPs
and dentists.
age criteria down from 65 to 40 years old.
income criteria - up from $800.00 to $1,500.00 per capita monthly
household income.
b. drug subsidies
higher cost standard drugs - increased from 50% subsidy to up to 75%
subsidy.
medication assistance fund for selected expensive drugs - raised from
up to 50% subsidy to up to 75% subsidy.
the medication assistance fund will be expanded to cover non-standard
drugs on a case-by-case basis.
c. medisave withdrawal limit for chronic outpatient treatment
to be raised from $300 to $400.
d. medifund
to be extended to include community and home-based intermediate and
long term care services.
with the government setting aside $73 million worth of subsidies, the number of people who will benefit should number more than 700,000, up from just 87,000 currently.
my comments:
with the move, the government is mindful of our rapidly ageing population which will grow to 19.6% (aged 65 years and above) in the year 2030 numbering approximately 800,000 seniors.
but thank God, there is still a basic medishield scheme which serves as a fundamental hedge against healthcare costs, even with all of it's limitations, especially with dollar-capped benefits, very low annual limit and longevity risks (there is no lifetime coverage). but consumers who is seeking more comprehensive coverage should always consider an integrated shield plan or even any other private h&s umbrella with more options, higher annual limits and of course, lifetime cover.
No comments:
Post a Comment