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$254 Million in MediSave Top-Ups for 450,000 Pioneers and 500,000 Merdeka Generation Seniors in July 2023
10 June 2023
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1. Pioneer Generation (PG) and Merdeka Generation (MG) seniors will be receiving MediSave top-ups in July 2023, amounting to about $254 million in total.
2. MediSave can be used to pay the premiums for MediShield Life, CareShield Life, ElderShield and other MediSave-approved insurance plans, as well as medical expenses such as hospitalisation, day surgeries, and selected outpatient treatments.
3. About 450,000 Pioneers and 500,000 MG seniors have benefitted from MediSave top-ups as part of the PG and MG Packages, since their launch in 2014 and 2019 respectively.
4. The PG and MG MediSave top-ups are provided in addition to the annual GST Voucher – MediSave top-ups[1] for eligible Singaporeans aged 65 and above.
Eligible Pioneers will receive MediSave Top-Up of up to $900
5. Pioneers will receive MediSave top-ups of between $250 to $900 each year. Additionally, older Pioneers (aged 84 years and above in 2023) who have serious pre-existing conditions will receive further top-ups of $50 to $200 per year from 2021 to 2025 (see Table 1) to help them pay their MediShield Life premiums. This was announced by the Ministry of Health (MOH) on 21 December 2020 as part of our commitment to keep premiums affordable for our Pioneers who have generally accumulated less MediSave than younger Singaporeans. The top-ups for Pioneers will amount to about $160 million this year. More information on the benefits of the PG Package is at Annex A.
Table 1: Pioneer Generation Annual MediSave Top-Ups
Table caption
Year of Birth | No serious pre-existing condition | With serious pre-existing condition[2] |
|---|---|---|
Born before or in 1934 | $900 | Additional $200 |
Born in 1935 – 1939 | $700 | Additional $50 |
Born in 1940 – 1944 | $500 | |
Born in 1945 – 1949 | $250 | |
6. With these enhancements, Pioneers aged 89 and above in 2023 will continue to see their MediShield Life premiums fully covered. Younger Pioneers will have about two-thirds of their MediShield Life premiums covered.
Eligible MG Seniors will Receive a MediSave Top-Up of $200
7. The MG Package, which was introduced in 2019, supports our MG seniors to stay active and healthy and provides them with greater assurance over their healthcare costs in their silver years. More information on the benefits of the MG Package is at Annex B.
8. MG seniors will receive $200 in MediSave top-ups every year from 2019 to 2023. This is the fifth year that MG seniors are receiving their MediSave top-ups. The top-ups will amount to over $94 million this year.
Go Digital to Receive Your PG and MG MediSave Top-up Notification Earlier
9. Eligible Pioneers and MG seniors who have downloaded and completed their one-time set up on the Singpass app will receive the PG and MG MediSave top-up notifications via their app inbox by 20 June 2023, informing them of the amount of MediSave top-up they would be eligible for.
10. Those who have not set up their Singpass app, but have registered their mobile numbers with Singpass before 11 June 2023, will receive an SMS by 20 June 2023, notifying them of the amount of top-up they are eligible for. The rest of the eligible seniors will receive letters by end-June 2023.
11. To guard against scams, the SMS notification (sent by “MOF” or “MOH”) will only inform seniors of their benefits. Seniors will not be asked to reply to the SMS or provide any information to the sender. No messages on PG Package and MG Package will be sent via WhatsApp or other mobile app messaging platforms.
More Information on PG and MG Packages
12. More information on the PG Package and MG Package is available at go.gov.sg/pgpackage and go.gov.sg/mgpackage respectively.
13. For clarifications, seniors may call or email:
a. 1800 2222 888 (PG and MG Packages); 1800 650 6060 (healthcare matters); or
b. contactus@pioneers.gov.sg / contactus@merdeka.gov.sg.
Issued by:
Ministry of Finance
Ministry of Health
Singapore
09 June 2023
[1] The amount of GST Voucher – MediSave that a senior citizen can receive is dependent on age, Annual Value (AV) of place of residence, and the number of properties owned. More information can be found at www.govbenefits.gov.sg/about-us/gst-voucher/overview/.
[2] The additional MediSave top-up is only applicable from 2021 to 2025.