From Dec 8, all Covid-19 patients who are unvaccinated by choice must pay their own medical bills if they are admitted to hospitals or Covid-19 treatment facilities. Those who are voluntarily unvaccinated and require intensive care could face a bill of about $25,000 before subsidies. This is a change from the current practice, where the Government foots the hospital bills incurred by Singapore citizens, permanent residents and long-term work pass holders who are Covid-19 patients in public hospitals, unless they tested positive shortly after returning from overseas. Vaccination-differentiated measures will also be expanded to more venues such as public libraries and selected activities in community clubs.

The pandemic has exposed a deep divide among countries on how patients are being charged for Covid-19 treatments. In Europe, this is largely free of charge, such as in Germany, where health insurance is mandatory for citizens and permanent residents. Co-payments are capped at a small percentage of annual household income. But in the United States, patients have to fork out tens of thousands of dollars. While most large health insurers in the US voluntarily limited the normal co-payments and deductibles for emergency room visits and Covid-19 treatment in the early stages of the pandemic, such benefits are about to wear out as they increasingly treat Covid-19 as a less serious disease.