SINGAPORE -Some 400 residents from lower income families received a card aimed at reducing their medical expenses on Wednesday (Aug 31).
The Income OrangeAid MediCard, launched on the same day by insurer NTUC Income, is a fixed value co-pay card.
It costs $10 and pays up to $30 for common illnesses such as flu and fever at participating general practitioner clinics. Each card can only be used once and is not valid at polyclinics.
Only those with the Blue Community Health Assist Scheme (Chas) cards are currently able to use this new MediCard. The $30 coverage will apply on top of the subsidy of $18.50 that comes with the Blue Chas cards, which means that when used together, they could offset up to $48.50 in medical bills.
In an earlier donation drive, NTUC Income employees had pledged 550 of these MediCards to lower income families.
On Wednesday evening, MP for MacPherson Tin Pei Ling, NTUC Income chief executive Ken Ng and other Income employees distributed 400 of these cards to rental flat residents in Pipit Road.
The remaining donated cards will be given out to the beneficiaries of Income OrangeAid - the insurer's community development and involvement arm.
Mr Ng said: "With the MediCard, lower-income families will now find the cost of treatment at participating GPs near their homes even lower. Such accessibility is particularly significant to those who do not live near a polyclinic.
"We understand that every dollar counts for these families. As such, we are retailing the MediCards at FairPrice Shops which cater to the budget conscious and are partnering with GP clinics near their vicinity to provide greater convenience and accessibility to those in need."