Ensuring Healthcare Costs Do Not Rise Proportionally Despite Expansion of MediShield Life Coverage

52 Mr Yip Hon Weng asked the Minister for Health (a) in view that MediShield Life coverage is set to expand, how will the Ministry ensure that healthcare costs do not rise proportionally; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider implementing audits in public hospitals to assess the prudency of recommended medical treatments, especially those requiring advanced technologies like robotic surgery.

Mr Ong Ye Kung: MediShield Life (MSHL) coverage does not cause healthcare cost to rise proportionately. The logic is the reverse. That means healthcare cost is rising, largely as an external trend; and to protect Singaporeans against large and expected medical bills, we intend to expand the coverage of MSHL.

Nevertheless, the Ministry of Health has implemented several measures to ensure overall healthcare costs remains sustainable. This includes greater emphasis on population health, implementing value-based care in healthcare institutions and encouraging right siting of patients to reduce the demand for acute hospital care. Health Technology Assessment also ensures that subsidies and insurance coverage extend only to clinically- and cost-effective treatments.