Criteria for Auto-renewal of Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) Card
Ministry of HealthSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong’s inquiry on whether Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) cards auto-renew for non-responsive households and retired seniors while maintaining the same subsidy tiers. Minister for Health Gan Kim Yong explained that households must submit renewal applications every two years to verify eligibility based on the latest income, property annual value, and composition. To simplify this, the Ministry of Health sends reminder letters with pre-filled forms three months and one month before expiry to ensure accurate subsidy levels. Minister for Health Gan Kim Yong noted that outreach assistance is provided through partners like the Agency for Integrated Care for households unfamiliar with the process. The Ministry continues to review the renewal system periodically to ensure it remains convenient while providing appropriate subsidies based on the latest household circumstances.
Transcript
24 Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong asked the Minister for Health (a) whether the Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) cards have been automatically renewed for households that do not respond to the invitation letter for renewal; (b) whether these households receive the same subsidy tier upon automatic renewal; and (c) whether the Ministry allows for auto-renewal to the same subsidy tier for retired senior citizens with no change in their household situation.
Mr Gan Kim Yong: A household’s eligibility for and level of subsidy under the Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) depends on their latest household income or property annual value, as well as household composition. To ensure that households receive the correct level of subsidies, households are requested to submit a renewal application form every two years so that we can verify and update their latest household information.
The Ministry of Health (MOH) seeks to make the renewal process convenient for CHAS cardholders. Households would receive a reminder letter about three months before their CHAS cards are due to expire. For those who do not respond, another renewal reminder letter is sent about one month before their CHAS cards expire. The renewal application form is included with the reminder letters. The application form is prefilled based on our existing records, to make it simpler for households to update their household information.
MOH also works with partners, such as the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC), to publicise information about the renewal process, as well as to reach out and provide any necessary assistance to individuals and households who may not be familiar with the renewal process. The CHAS application form is also available online, and at various locations, such as polyclinics, public hospitals and community centres.
We will continue to review the CHAS renewal process from time to time to ensure that it is convenient to the public and enables them to receive appropriate levels of subsidy based on their latest circumstances.