SIX days since the start of means testing for hospital patients seeking subsidised treatment, more than 90 per cent of those opting for B2- and C-class wards are getting the maximum subsidy.

The 8 per cent who are getting less than this comprise patients with no income but who live in expensive homes, and workers who earn more than the $3,200-a-month cut-off for full subsidy.

The Health Ministry implemented means testing to ensure that the bulk of funds meant for subsidies - $1.5 billion in 2007 - goes to patients who need it most.

Statistics from past years show that 9 per cent of C-class patients and 13 per cent of B2 ones come from families in the top 20 per cent of income-earners.

With means testing in place, anyone, rich or poor, can still opt for the most highly subsidised ward classes, but the better-off now get less financial help from the Government.

Subsidies in C-class, where chest-high walls separate each room of eight to 12 beds, cover between 65 and 80 per cent of the bill; subsidies in B2 wards, which have full-height walls housing six to eight patients per room, range from 50 to 65 per cent.

The amount of subsidy a patient gets is based on his average monthly salary for the past 12 months, or the annual value of his home if he has no income.

Implementation has been smooth, said a ministry spokesman. Hospitals vary in their approach, with some letting patients know if they get the full subsidy, and others not doing so.

At Tan Tock Seng Hospital, patients who consent to having their income or housing-type checked to determine their subsidy band are merely told their estimated bill size.

At Singapore General Hospital, they are given two estimated bill sizes - one at the subsidy level they are entitled to, and one with the maximum subsidy. If the figures are identical, then the patient would know he has qualified for the maximum.

Read the full report in Wednesday's edition of The Straits Times.