CareShield Life, the proposed disability insurance that will take effect in 2020, came under more than five hours of scrutiny in Parliament yesterday.

The 19 MPs who spoke on the subject were generally in favour of the compulsory scheme, which Health Minister Gan Kim Yong called a "key pillar" of Singapore's social safety net.

But they wanted to know why payouts are made only when someone is severely disabled rather than at a less serious stage, why women are made to pay higher premiums and how the Health Ministry decided on the starting payout of $600 a month.

It was explained that these factors were calculated actuarially. Women live longer, and having higher payouts or less stringent criteria will mean higher premiums.

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