From 1 October 2024, over a million Singapore residents will enjoy higher healthcare benefits, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said. MOH will make several changes to improve patient affordability and facilitate right-siting of care, it said in an official release.
The changes include: Revising the monthly Per Capita Household Income (PCHI) thresholds; Enhancing the Palliative Care subsidy framework; and Enhancing the Community Hospital subsidy framework.
Revised monthly PCHI thresholds
As announced at Budget 2024, MOH will be revising the income criteria for healthcare schemes and grants that are means-tested using the monthly PCHI criteria, to reflect changes in household incomes and cost of healthcare. The revisions will take effect from 1 October 2024. Up to 1.1 million Singapore residents are expected to benefit from higher subsidies. Monthly PCHI is computed as the total gross household monthly income divided by the total number of family members living together in the household. Gross monthly household income includes basic employment income, trade/self-employed income, overtime pay, allowances, cash awards, commissions, and bonuses.
List of schemes and grants with revised income criteria
a. MediShield Life and CareShield Life Premium Subsidies.
b. Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS).
c. Subsidies at publicly-funded hospitals. (These are Acute Hospital, Day Surgery, Extended Diagnosis Treatment Unit, Community Hospital, and Specialist Outpatient Clinic settings/services.)
d. Subsidies for Palliative Care services. (These include Inpatient Hospice Palliative Care Service (IHPCS), Home Palliative Care, and Day Hospice.)
e. Subsidies for residential and non-residential Long-Term Care services. (Residential Long-Term Care services include Nursing Home, Chronic Sick [High/Low], Psychiatric Rehabilitation Home, and Psychiatric Sheltered Home. Non-Residential Long-Term Care services include home-based services [e.g. Home Medical services, Home Nursing services, Home Help services, Home Personal Care] and centre-based services [e.g. Community Rehabilitation, Maintenance Day Care, Dementia Day Care, Psychiatric Day Rehabilitation]).
f. Subsidies for community haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis.
g. Subsidies for Standard Drug List and Medication Assistance Fund drugs.
h. Seniors’ Mobility and Enabling Fund.
i. Home Caregiving Grant.
j. Interim Disability Assistance Scheme Programme for the Elderly.
k. ElderFund.
The monthly PCHI threshold for each subsidy tier will be raised, with increases ranging from SGD 100 to SGD 800.
No action is required for existing or new patients and beneficiaries when they use the services and apply for subsidies or grants. The respective service providers and scheme administrators will automatically extend the corresponding subsidies and grants to those who are eligible. Existing CHAS cardholders who are eligible for a CHAS card with higher subsidies after the revision of income criteria will be automatically issued with new cards after 1 October 2024.
Enhanced palliative care subsidy framework
“To enable more Singaporeans to fulfil their aspirations of leaving with dignity and comfort according to their preferences, MOH will enhance subsidies for Palliative Care services from 1 October 2024, in tandem with the revised monthly PCHI thresholds. These include inpatient hospice palliative care service, home palliative care, and day hospice,” the official statement read.
Under the enhanced palliative care subsidy framework announced in the 2023 National Strategy for Palliative Care, all Singapore Citizens will receive subsidies of at least 50 percent, regardless of their monthly PCHI. This means that almost all patients will benefit from higher subsidies. This will complement recent adjustments to MediShield Life claim limits and MediSave withdrawal limits to improve affordability and access to palliative care.
Since February 2024, MOH has increased the daily MediShield Life claim limits for inpatient hospice palliative care service from SGD 250 to SGD 460 for general inpatient palliative care and from SGD 350 to SGD 500 for specialised inpatient palliative care and removed the MediSave SGD 2,500 lifetime withdrawal limit for all home palliative care and day hospice patients who use their own MediSave.
The increased financing support will improve affordability for patients, and at the same time, enable palliative care providers to expand their capacity to support more patients in meeting their preference to pass away at home.
Community hospital subsidy enhancements
Community hospitals play a pivotal role in providing continued post-acute care. As announced at MOH’s Committee of Supply 2024, MOH will implement two revisions to community hospital subsidies.
First, MOH will align the percentage of community hospital inpatient subsidies with that of acute hospitals from 1 October 2024, in tandem with the revised monthly PCHI thresholds. Under the enhanced Community Hospital subsidy framework, Singapore citizens will minimally receive subsidies of at least 50 percent, up from 30 percent under the current framework.
Second, MOH will progressively expand the list of subsidised diagnostic services at community hospitals, with a view towards eventually aligning this with the list of subsidised diagnostic services at acute hospitals. This will be rolled out progressively across community hospitals, starting from 1 December 2024.
These enhancements will improve affordability for community hospital patients, while ensuring greater continuity of care and improved care integration across acute and community care settings.
No one will be denied appropriate healthcare because they are unable to afford it. Those who still face financial challenges after subsidies may approach their respective service providers for further financial assistance.
