SINGAPORE - Pioneer and Merdeka Generation seniors will get $278 million in MediSave top-ups.

They will receive letters with details regarding the top-ups by the end of June, and the sums will be credited in July, the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Health said in a joint statement on Monday (June 21).

Pioneer Generation seniors - born in or before 1949 - will receive between $250 and $900 each. Those aged 82 and above in 2021 who have serious pre-existing conditions will receive further top-ups of $50 to $200 yearly from 2021 to 2025, to help them pay their higher MediShield Life premiums.

Top-ups for pioneers will amount to about $182 million in 2021.

The higher annual MediSave top-ups for Pioneer Generation seniors from this year, announced last December, is intended to help keep premiums affordable for pioneers who have generally accumulated less MediSave than younger Singaporeans.

Merdeka Generation seniors will each receive $200, totalling some $96 million in 2021.

The ministries said that about 450,000 pioneers and 500,000 Merdeka Generation seniors have benefited from MediSave top-ups since the seniors' packages were launched.

The top-ups to MediSave accounts will be on top of the annual GST Voucher- MediSave top-ups for eligible Singaporeans aged 65 and above.

About 575,000 Singaporeans aged 65 and above will receive a top-up to their CPF MediSave accounts of up to $450 each from July 30.

MediSave can be used to pay the premiums for MediShield Life and other MediSave-approved insurance plans, as well as medical expenses such as hospitalisation, day surgery and outpatient treatments.