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Mr Khaw added that he is thinking of extending Medisave use to other chronic illness where early treatment or proper maintenance can keep people out of hospital. -- PHOTO: ST FILE
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MEDISHIELD premiums are expected to go up later this year by about $120, in what Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan promises to be the last tweak to the scheme under his watch.
What he hopes to achieve is the halving of a subsidised patient's share of big hospital bills amounting to $10,000 or more.
He told reporters after donating blood at the blood bank on Tuesday: 'I really want to bring co-payment for big bills down to 20 per cent.'
The basic national medical insurance scheme which provides 2.8 million people here with hospital insurance had a major overhaul just three years back, when it was made a compulsory component of all medical insurance bought with Medisave money.
Raising the premiums by about $120 a year then resulted in a reduction of a patient's portion of big bills from 60 per cent to 40 per cent.
But it did not satisfy the minister, who still worries about poor patients having to fork out several thousand dollars more, in spite of hefty Government subsidies and insurance coverage.
He has pinned it down to two factors. One is the daily limit which does not take into account the high cost of intensive care treatment for the critically ill.
The other is the expensive implants, expecially for orthopaedic treatments.
Said Mr Khaw: 'Orthopaedic patients are increasingly using more expensive implants. It they are better for the patient, and we increase the withdrawal limit, it would benefit them.'
Subsidised patients are given a maximum of $500 for implants, no matter how expensive it might be. A knee implant, for example, could cost anything from $2,000 to about $5,000, with the more expensive ones lasting longer.
Based on his series of dialogues before making the changes three years ago, it was clear that people were comfortable with premium increases of about $10 more a month. So Mr Khaw plans to keep it at about that level this time too.
Three MPs, all with the Government Parliamentary Committee for Health, welcomed the move and agreed with the minister that a premium increase of about $10 a month should be fine, especially as it can be paid for with Medisave.
Premiums now range from $30 to $705 a year, based on a person's age.
The GPC chairman Madam Halimah Yacob said: 'The increase in the daily limits for ICU, where the cost is high, as well as for the non-standard implants are also good improvements, as these are items which can cause quite a dent in the pockets.'
About 60 per cent of the 2.8 million MediShield subsicribers already have enhanced schemes.
But Mr Khaw said he suspects another 10 to 20 per cent need more coverage.
Under the proposed means testing, people whose incomes are at the 50th percentile or less will continue to enjoy the current subsidy. Higher income-earners will get less subsidy.
He is waiting for the latest statistics to decide the cut-off salary. But he promised to round the figure up so it's actually higher than the 50th percentile.
'You have a very compassionate Health Minister,' he said with a grin.
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