MediShield Life helps more people a year on

One year after Singapore introduced MediShield Life - a universal insurance scheme, more people are getting help with their medical bills.

Nearly 400,000 claims were made between last November and September this year. A total of $614.3 million was paid out.

Of this, $102.5 million went to people who were previously uninsured, a Ministry of Health (MOH) spokesman told The Straits Times.

Over the same period in the previous year, $307.5 million was disbursed for 291,500 claims.

MediShield Life was launched on Nov 1 last year. It covers every Singaporean and permanent resident for subsidised care for life, regardless of whether they are healthy or already suffer from a serious or chronic disease.

Previously, those too old or sick to join when the scheme was launched were not covered. Within this group, 25,000 people deemed to have a serious pre-existing disease have to pay 30 per cent more in premiums for the first 10 years.

Now, the previously uninsured are covered - and also getting more in payouts. They made a total of 65,000 claims and received slightly more - $1,577, compared with other policy holders, who got an average of $1,539 per claim.

Both are higher than the average claim of $1,271 for MediShield, before the better coverage offered by MediShield Life kicked in.

There is a trade-off. Premiums rose, mounting to $1,736 million in the 11 months from its launch - compared with $685.7 million in the same period the previous year.

Almost half was paid by the Government, largely as premium subsidies.

Premiums not disbursed will be invested in the Special Singapore Government Securities as this has stable, long-term stability, said Fang Ai Lian, who chairs the MediShield Life Council.

The Council also decides on appeals, including requests from Singaporeans living abroad who do not plan to return here to live, to be excluded from the scheme.

It announced a month ago that they can be "suspended" from the scheme, but will have to pay the full unpaid premiums plus interest if they return permanently and require medical treatment.

About 200 people have applied for such exemption, she said.

salma@sph.com.sg

Get MyPaper for more stories.