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NOTICE PAPER NO. 57 OF 2012
NOTICE OF QUESTION FOR WRITTEN ANSWER
FOR THE SITTING OF PARLIAMENT ON 17 FEBRUARY 2012
Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament
Mr Gerald Giam
Non-Constituency MP
Question No. 129
To ask the Minister for Health in each of the last 10 years, how many MediShield policyholders reached (i) the $50,000 policy year limit; and (ii) the $200,000 lifetime limit.
Answer
1 The MediShield policy year and lifetime limits were last increased in July 2005 from $30,000 to $50,000 and from $120,000 to $200,000 respectively.
2 The number of MediShield policyholders who reached the policy year and lifetime limits each year is less than 0.1% of MediShield policyholders. The breakdown is shown in the table below.
Table caption
Year | No. who reached policy year limit1 | No. who reached lifetime limit2 |
|---|---|---|
2001 | 29 | 0 |
2002 | 41 | 0 |
2003 | 33 | 0 |
2004 | 39 | 9 |
20053 | 18 | 18 |
2006 | 13 | 0 |
2007 | 19 | 0 |
2008 | 54 | 0 |
2009 | 93 | 2 |
20104 | 92 | 11 |
Notes:
(1) Refers to policyholders whose claims exceeded the policy year limit, based on the start date of their policy year. E.g. Policyholders whose policy year starts from Jun 2006 to May 2007 and exceeded the policy year limit during this period will be reflected under the 2006 count.
(2) Refers to policyholders whose total lifetime claims exceeded the lifetime limit in the calendar year. Number of policyholders who reached policy year and lifetime limit are not mutually exclusive.
(3) Both policy year and lifetime limits were raised in July 2005. Those who exceeded the limits before or after the increase in limits will be reflected under the 2005 count.
(4) Statistics for 2011 are not available as the claims data is not yet finalised. Policy years started in 2011 will also be completed only in 2012.
3 Those who have reached the MediShield policy year or lifetime limit and face difficulty with their medical bills can approach the medical social workers at public healthcare institutions for financial assistance such as Medifund.
4 The Ministry will continue to review how we can affordably improve MediShield benefits, including the policy year and lifetime limits, over time, to ensure that Singaporeans are adequately covered against catastrophic illnesses.