Safeguarding Healthcare Affordability On Top of New Requirements for MediShield IP Riders
Ministry of HealthSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns the additional measures being studied to safeguard healthcare affordability following new requirements for Integrated Shield Plan (IP) riders regarding co-payments and deductibles. Dr Wan Rizal inquired about steps to manage costs beyond these specific rider changes, which Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung explained are intended to moderate private healthcare cost escalation. The response highlighted measures such as developing claim rules, enforcing against inappropriate claims, publishing fee benchmarks, and increasing public education on insurance. Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung noted that enhancing subsidies and MediShield Life coverage remain the most impactful ways to ensure affordability for the majority using public healthcare. He concluded that healthcare financing must be sustainably designed for the long term to balance the impact on taxes, insurance premiums, and out-of-pocket payments.
Transcript
16 Dr Wan Rizal asked the Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Minister for Health in respect of the new requirements on Integrated Shield Plan (IP) riders announced on 26 November 2025 to increase minimum co-payment and disallowing riders to cover the minimum IP deductibles, what other measures is the Ministry studying to safeguard the affordability of healthcare costs for residents.
Mr Ong Ye Kung: The new requirements for Integrated Shield Plan (IP) riders aim to moderate the escalation of private healthcare costs. There are other measures targeted at managing healthcare costs, such as developing claim rules and enforcing on inappropriate claims, publishing benchmarks for hospital charges and private specialist fees, and more public education on insurance. Please refer to the response to Parliamentary Question Nos 1 to 4 for the Sitting on 24 September 2025. [Please refer to "Reviewing Regulatory Framework for Integrated Shield Plans and Assessing Practice of Pre-authorisation", Official Report, 24 September 2025, Vol 96, Issue 4, Oral Answers to Questions section.]
Most Singaporeans use public subsidized healthcare. The most impactful measures to ensure healthcare affordability are in healthcare financing – enhancing subsidies and MediShield Life coverage as costs go up. However, however healthcare is financed, it will translate into taxes, insurance premiums or out of pocket payments by patients, all of which the population ultimately bears. It is therefore crucial that healthcare financing policies are appropriately designed for the long term, so that they remain sustainable.