Parliamentary QA
Increasing Current Annual Withdrawal Limit for Outpatient Flexi-MediSave in view of Rising Outpatient Healthcare Costs
14 February 2022
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NOTICE PAPER NO. 949
NOTICE OF QUESTION FOR WRITTEN ANSWER
FOR THE SITTING OF PARLIAMENT ON 14 FEBRUARY 2022
Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament
Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan
MP for Pioneer
Question No. 1505
To ask the Minister for Health whether the Ministry will consider increasing the current annual withdrawal limit for outpatient Flexi-MediSave in view of rising outpatient healthcare costs.
Written Answer
The Ministry had recently increased the Flexi-MediSave limit from $200 to $300 on 1 June 2021 to better support elderly patients in seeking outpatient treatment. Around eight in 10 patients who tapped on Flexi-MediSave did not reach the $300 annual limit in 2021. We will continue to regularly review our MediSave withdrawal limits to strike a balance between improving affordability for ongoing treatment and ensuring sufficient savings for future healthcare needs.
Patients who cannot afford their treatments after subsidies and MediSave can approach the medical social workers in public healthcare institutions for MediFund and other assistance.