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SINGAPORE: The daily Medisave withdrawal limit for community hospital patients will be raised from S$150 to S$250 from the middle of this year, and the annual cap on withdrawals will also go up from S$3,500 to S$5,000.
Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan announced this in Parliament on Tuesday.
The Health Ministry's budget for subsidising patients for treatment has increased by 10 percent to S$2.2 billion this financial year. This increase in subsidies is on top of the S$710 million top-ups Singaporeans will receive in their Medisave, Medifund and Eldercare funds.
Mr Khaw said such subsidies form the first layer of protection - which ensures universal access to basic healthcare.
Medisave - the 26-year-old, S$45 billion national healthcare savings scheme - is the second layer. MPs wanted to see this scheme freed up to cover more areas.
"Will MOH be able to come up with a list of approved screening tests for various groups - with some degree of flexibility, of course - and consider allowing a small portion of Medisave to be utilised for this with a fixed cap/ceiling on an annual basis?" asked Fatimah Lateef, MP for Marine Parade GRC.
"This would very much be along the lines we have allowed Medisave to be used for part-payment for chronic diseases."
Amy Khor, MP for Hong Kah GRC, said: "The ministry should also review the quantum of Medisave that can be claimed for community hospitals and allow the use of Medisave for day rehabilitation centres. This would lead to greater optimization of the different health care facilities."
In this case, the MP got her wish.
Currently, the daily Medisave withdrawal limit for patients at acute care hospitals is higher than those at community hospitals. This gives patients no incentive to move out to step-down care at community hospitals.
To correct this anomaly, Medisave withdrawal limits for patients at community hospitals will be raised.
Mr Khaw said: "We are stepping up the capabilities of the community hospitals so that they can also serve sub-acute patients, for example those with hip fractures, and the elderly with kidney and urinary tract infections.
"Traditionally, such patients are kept in acute care hospitals where their Medisave withdrawal limits are higher, at $450 per day.
"But it makes sense for the patients to be transferred to a community hospital where the total operating cost is lower.
"However, current withdrawal limits may deter such patients from moving to community hospitals because of higher out-of-pocket payments.
"These adjustments (by the middle of this year) should make it cheaper for sub-acute patients to move from an acute hospital to a community hospital."
The daily Medisave withdrawal limit for day rehabilitation services will also be raised from S$20 to S$25.
Mr Khaw said: "Some patients need rehabilitation care to help them regain their ability to function independently, after suffering, say, a stroke or fracture.
"Being able to access good rehabilitative care near their homes after their discharge will make a significant difference to patients' recovery and subsequent quality of life".
But the Health Minister cautioned against over-liberalising the use of Medisave.
He said: "I have the unpleasant task of being the gatekeeper to Medisave. I heard Ms Sylvia Lim, yes, Medisave is our own money, but if it runs out prematurely, the member will be in trouble.
"I am trying to prevent such an outcome. That is why we have stringent Medisave withdrawal rules and limits. This will help to balance current consumption against future needs, and ensure that Singaporeans have enough Medisave to look after their medical needs during retirement."
So the Health Ministry will take careful steps to look into how best to utilise Medisave.
For one, it will set up an expert group to review the range of healthcare screenings available here.
The ministry will study the financial implications of opening up Medisave to pay for such screenings.
That way, Mr Khaw said, his ministry will know "how to prescribe the necessary withdrawal limits".
Professor Lee Hin Peng, from the NUS Department of Community, Occupational and Family Medicine, will chair the expert group.
- CNA/ir
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