MediShield plans comparison should be made to inform public

20 Jun 2005, Today

Question

Name of the Person: David Soh Poh Huat

MediShield plans comparison should be made to inform public

THANK you, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan, for embarking on the MediShield reforms within such a short span of time. 

However, it would be good if the Ministry of Health makes known to the public a comparison of the existing MediShield plans, just as it did for public hospital bills. The comparison could highlight to the public the differences between the plans in terms of features and premiums. 

This is to ensure full transparency, so that the public can choose wisely from the schemes available. 

If there is little public awareness, and with more MediShield plans being enhanced, people may be misled into switching plans. 

The ministry should caution the public against doing so for no good reason and inform them of any potential problems should they switch plans. 

I also hope that the possibility of increasing the Medisave limit to finance CPF Shield plans can be explored. 

With these enhancements to reduce hospital bills, hopefully some people's current mentality that "it's better to die than to stay in hospital" will change.

Reply

Reply from MOH 

You can compare MediShield plans on MOH website 

In "MediShield plans comparison should be made to inform public" (TODAY, 20 June), Mr David Soh suggested that more comparative information on the Medisave-approved private integrated plans be made available, to enable the public to make informed choices. 

We agree with this suggestion. Moreover, increased transparency will drive competition and bring about better benefits for all policyholders. 

We have set up a comparison table on our website at www.moh.gov.sg and will update it regularly. 

We will also consider Mr Soh's other suggestion to raise the annual Medisave withdrawal limit of $660 per policyholder for premium payment in our ongoing review of the health insurance framework.