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SINGAPORE: When means testing kicks in at hospitals at the end of the year, permanent residents (PRs) who want to be admitted to B- and C-class wards will also be means tested to see if they are eligible for government subsidies.
Currently, Singaporeans in Class-C wards get 80 per cent subsidy while those in Class-B2 wards get 65 per cent.
Subsidies for PRs are ten percentage points lower than what Singaporeans get, while non-citizens are not eligible for subsidies.
Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan said the ten percentage point difference between citizens and PRs will still apply when means testing kicks in.
While low-income Singaporeans and PRs will not be affected by means testing, the higher-income ones will get less subsidies from the government, he pointed out.
Mr Khaw said he is in no hurry to implement means testing. In fact, he said it is a process that cannot be rushed as there are still many technical details to be ironed out.
"I'm trying to simplify this, and also to automate it so that it's very easy for the hospitals as well as for the patients. For example, what I have in mind is when the patient comes forward, all I need to know is your IC number. Then through the computer I will know which salary band you're in, (whether) you're working, and therefore what will… the subsidy (be) if there's to be any reduction," he said.
And that automation could take six to eight months to programme, so he said means testing could only be implemented in the last quarter of this year.
"I don't want to rush it because I want to be able to implement it smoothly, because it's a good scheme which I know will benefit Singaporeans," he added.
In the meantime, he intends to reach out to as many people as possible through dialogues and TV forums. - CNA/ac
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