Starting from April this year, the MediSave scheme is going to have some extra Flexibility so that elderly patients don’t have to pay as much out of pocket for medical fees.
The new scheme will be available for those aged 65 and above and will allow them to use up to $200 of their MediSave per year for outpatient treatments at public sector Specialist outpatient clinics, Polyclinics and GPs under the CHAS.
The changes were announced by Health Minister Gan Kim Yong at the CHAS family carnival today organised by the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC).
Another thing which was announced at the family carnival was a new localised map for Tampines GRC showing the various medical clinics and medical services available in the area.
While it is good that the government is working towards introducing more flexibility it is questionable whether $200 is enough as a yearly cap.
Elderly patients tend to have more medical needs than others while encouraging them to seek outpatient care for simple ailments can help to reduce the bed crunch.
For elderly, they are also less likely to still be working so their cash flow is little compared to the savings which many have accumulated in CPF and MediSave over the years.
Medical care is hardly an expense which we are likely to spend foolishly on.
Do you think $200 a year is enough flexibility for Elderly Singaporeans?