Health subsidy: Eligibility criteria listed in application forms

23 June 2012, The Straits Times

Shocked by ineligibility

I AM dismayed by the management of the Primary Care Partnership Scheme, now renamed the Community Health Assist Scheme.

My wife and I, who are retirees in our 60s, as well as my mother duly completed the application form for the scheme, which clearly stated the eligibility requirements and documents for submission.

So we got a shock when our application was rejected for a reason not explicitly shown on the application form - because the net annual value of our condominium apartment is above $13,000 a year.

Had we known of this hidden eligibility clause, we would not have spent time and effort to apply.

As we do not have any other form of income, and do not receive any other government subsidy, we got the impression that the benefits of the scheme were duly applicable to us.

As the net annual value of a property is an eligibility requirement, it should be clearly indicated in the text of the application form.

Ng Kim Wah

26 June 2012, The Straits Times

Review guidelines on health subsidy

I AM in my 60s and a retiree. I had a similar experience as Mr Ng Kim Wah ('Shocked by ineligibility'; last Saturday).

My mother, who is in her 80s and living with me, and I both applied to come under the Community Health Assist Scheme.

Our applications were rejected because the condominium unit we are living in has a net annual value above $13,000.

Perhaps the Health Ministry should note the following and review the current guidelines:

- The net annual value criterion was not mentioned on the application form.

- My mother does not own any property, so shouldn't her application be assessed differently? What if a person rents a room in an apartment with an annual value exceeding $13,000? Would he be ineligible for the scheme as well?

- Perhaps the net annual value of a property can be taken into account on a case-by-case basis, instead of across the board.

I do not receive any other form of income or government subsidy, and have to look after my aged mother. These factors should also be taken into account.

Khoo Chwee Guan

Reply from MOH

28 June 2012, The Straits Times

Health subsidy: Eligibility criteria listed in application forms

WE ARE sorry that Mr Ng Kim Wah ('Shocked by ineligibility'; last Saturday) and Mr Khoo Chwee Guan ('Review guidelines on health subsidy'; Forum Online, Tuesday) experienced difficulties in applying to the Community Health Assist Scheme.

The scheme is the enhanced version of the previous Primary Care Partnership Scheme.

Aside from enhanced assistance under a broader eligibility framework, the Health Ministry also streamlined the application process to make it easier for Singaporeans to apply for the scheme when we launched it in January.

The application forms are now more user-friendly with the full eligibility criteria and the documents to be submitted listed clearly. In addition, only one application is required for each household.

The eligibility criteria for the scheme have always been included in its publicity posters and brochures, but we agree that they could have been more prominent.

We will bear this in mind as we continue to publicise the scheme and its enhanced coverage and eligibility criteria for Singaporeans.

We recognise that there will be applicants with unique circumstances who do not meet the criteria, but who may still require assistance. We will assess such cases on their individual merits to see if we can assist them.

We thank Mr Ng and Mr Khoo for their feedback, and welcome suggestions on ways to further improve the application process to make it more convenient for applicants.

Bey Mui Leng (Ms)

Director, Corporate Communications

Ministry of Health