Subsidies Received by CHAS Cardholders for Dental Services

18 Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong asked the Minister for Health (a) in the last year, how much subsidies for dental services has each CHAS cardholder and each CHAS cardholder aged 60 and above received on average; (b) whether a review has been conducted to determine that the subsidies are adequate for seniors; and (c) whether the subsidies should be increased for seniors to match their needs.

Mr Gan Kim Yong: The dental subsidies under the Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) vary, depending on the status of the cardholder and the dental procedure required. For example, to make a complete upper denture, CHAS Blue and Orange cardholders can receive a subsidy of up to $256.50 and $170.50 respectively. The subsidy for Pioneer Generation (PG) cardholders is $10 higher per procedure than that for CHAS Blue cardholders.

Those who have made a claim received about $320, on average, in dental subsidies in 2015. Those aged 60 and above received about $370.

The existing dental subsidies already cover close to 85% of the bill for the majority of visits, including for seniors. The Ministry of Health will continue to review CHAS from time to time so as to meet our objective of providing accessible and affordable dental care to Singaporeans, including our senior citizens.