ASSESSING OUT-OF-POCKET COSTS FOR OUTPATIENT MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT ACROSS PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SETTINGS

NOTICE PAPER NO. 659

NOTICE OF QUESTION FOR WRITTEN ANSWER

FOR THE SITTING OF PARLIAMENT ON 7 APRIL 2026

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament

Dr Hamid Razak

MP for West Coast-Jurong West GRC

Question No. 1245

To ask the Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Minister for Health (a) whether the Ministry has assessed the typical out-of-pocket costs borne by patients for outpatient mental health treatment, including medication and psychotherapy, across public and private settings; and (b) whether these findings are being used to inform ongoing reviews of outpatient healthcare financing.

Answer

1            In 2023, subsidised patients seeking outpatient treatment for mental health conditions under the Chronic Disease Management Programme (CDMP) incurred annual post-subsidy bills of around $300 to $500 at public and selected private settings on average, depending on the complexity of their condition. Out-of-pocket costs can be further offset through the MediSave 500/700 and Flexi-MediSave schemes. 

2            The Ministry routinely reviews our mainstream financing schemes based on such data. The Ministry recently announced an increase of MediSave withdrawal limits for CDMP treatments from $500 and $700 to $700 and $1,000 to better cover the post-subsidy bills for simple and complex chronic patients respectively, including those with chronic mental health conditions.