SINGAPORE - Singaporeans and permanent residents will get letters asking them to confirm information such as household composition, which will be used to calculate premium subsidies for MediShield Life.

Senior Minister of State for Health and Manpower Amy Khor on Thursday urged them to look out for these letters, which should be delivered by June, and confirm their information. They will also need to update their addresses at police posts or the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority.

MediShield Life premium subsidies will be determined by government records of the annual value of a person's residence, plus their monthly per capita household income.

Information will be culled from existing government databases and there is no need to fill in additional application forms, but citizens will need to look at these letters to ensure their information is accurate.

A married woman who has recently moved from her parents' bungalow into a Housing Board flat, for example, could receive lower subsidies than she would get if she didn't update her address.

The letter will contain instructions to confirm household information online. "Those without Internet access can call a special hotline or go to Citizen Connect Centres at selected community clubs for help," Dr Khor said.

She was speaking on the sidelines of an MediShield Life Facebook dialogue on Thursday in which she clarified queries from members of the public. They posted a total of 110 questions and comments in the one-hour session, attended by 7,000 people.

Some participants asked what would happen to needy citizens who were sick but had no family members to help pay their premiums. Dr Khor assured them that "no one will lose MediShield Life coverage due to their inability to pay", adding: "There will be additional premium support for those who are needy."