MediShield Life is designed to cover large hospital bills

MOH's Reply

Lianhe Zaobao, 8 Dec 2015

MediShield Life is designed to cover large hospital bills

Mr Par Chee Hua shared that his mother’s hospital bill of $2,500 was not covered by MediShield Life when she stayed in a subsidised ward in November, and asked under what circumstances MediShield Life would provide coverage (“What does MediShield Life cover?”; Nov 27).

MediShield Life is a basic hospitalisation insurance plan that is designed to pay for large hospital bills and selected costly outpatient treatments, such as dialysis and chemotherapy for cancer. It is sized for subsidised treatment in the public hospitals.

We would like to assure Mr Par that MediShield Life provides coverage for all Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents, regardless of age or health conditions.

MediShield Life has co-payment features, such as the deductible and co-insurance, to help keep premiums affordable. The deductible is a fixed amount payable by the insured before MediShield Life pays out on claims. It is cumulative, and payable only once every policy year. This allows MediShield Life to pay for larger bills, while Medisave savings can be used to pay for smaller, more affordable amounts. Mdm Par’s bill was fully covered by Medisave.

As Mdm Par’s hospital bill after government subsidies was $2,500, there was no MediShield Life payout as the bill did not exceed the deductible of $3,000 for her age group and her chosen ward class – Class B2. For those aged above 80, the deductible is $3,000 for stays in Class B2 and $2,000 for Class C.

We thank Mr Par for his feedback.

Ms Lim Bee Khim 
Director, Corporate Communications
Ministry of Health 

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Lianhe Zaobao, 27 Nov 2015

终身健保保什么？

我母亲今年86岁，11月初因肺部积水住进陈笃生医院，期间没有进行任何手术，只是每天抽水，一共在医院普通病房住了八天，须缴付2500多元医药费。我们以为终身健保可扣除部分费用，却被告知不受保，需付全额。

我想问卫生部等有关部门，终身健保保的是什么？病人又要在什么情况下才能受保？

彭志荣