Ong Ye Kung on changes for more flexible and convenient MediFund assistance
Around 30 per cent of beneficiaries receive MediFund assistance from more than one institution within the same public healthcare cluster, and around 40 per cent receive MediFund assistance from more than one institution across public healthcare clusters. The Ministry of Health (M0H) has devolved MediFund approvals to the MediFund committees of individual healthcare institutions. However, this also leads to multiple assessment for patients across institutions. There is a need to strike a balance between flexibility and convenience. MOH has reviewed the MediFund application process to make it more seamless and will implement these changes by March 2024. Firstly, there will be a mutual recognition arrangement between acute hospitals and stepdown care. This means that patients who are transferred from acute hospital to stepdown care will continue to benefit from MediFund without having to re-apply for it. As medical bills and the social and financial circumstances of patients may vary over time as they transfer from one institution to another, this automatic extension of MediFund will be for three months or until the receiving institution reassesses the eligibility for continued MediFund assistance. Secondly, there will be a mutual recognition arrangement within the same healthcare cluster for outpatient treatment. This automatic support will be valid for a year from the time MediFund is first extended at the outpatient setting. Thirdly, there will be more support for ComCare graduates. Today, MediFund assistance is automatically extended to needy patients who are under ComCare assistance and withdrawn when the patient graduates from the scheme. To strengthen support to help them become self-reliant, MediFund support will continue for three months after graduation from Comcare. Health Minister Ong Ye Kung outlined these changes in reply to an MP’s questions in Parliament on Tuesday (Nov 7). He said the MediFund committees of healthcare institutions continue to have full discretion over the applications, outcomes and extent of support. MOH has been engaging them to agree to support the changes to provide a smoother experience for MediFund beneficiaries as they transfer or seek care in different healthcare settings, he added.
Around 30 per cent of beneficiaries receive MediFund assistance from more than one institution within the same public healthcare cluster, and around 40 per cent receive MediFund assistance from more than one institution across public healthcare clusters. The Ministry of Health (M0H) has devolved MediFund approvals to the MediFund committees of individual healthcare institutions. However, this also leads to multiple assessment for patients across institutions. There is a need to strike a balance between flexibility and convenience. MOH has reviewed the MediFund application process to make it more seamless and will implement these changes by March 2024. Firstly, there will be a mutual recognition arrangement between acute hospitals and stepdown care. This means that patients who are transferred from acute hospital to stepdown care will continue to benefit from MediFund without having to re-apply for it. As medical bills and the social and financial circumstances of patients may vary over time as they transfer from one institution to another, this automatic extension of MediFund will be for three months or until the receiving institution reassesses the eligibility for continued MediFund assistance. Secondly, there will be a mutual recognition arrangement within the same healthcare cluster for outpatient treatment. This automatic support will be valid for a year from the time MediFund is first extended at the outpatient setting. Thirdly, there will be more support for ComCare graduates. Today, MediFund assistance is automatically extended to needy patients who are under ComCare assistance and withdrawn when the patient graduates from the scheme. To strengthen support to help them become self-reliant, MediFund support will continue for three months after graduation from Comcare. Health Minister Ong Ye Kung outlined these changes in reply to an MP’s questions in Parliament on Tuesday (Nov 7). He said the MediFund committees of healthcare institutions continue to have full discretion over the applications, outcomes and extent of support. MOH has been engaging them to agree to support the changes to provide a smoother experience for MediFund beneficiaries as they transfer or seek care in different healthcare settings, he added.
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