Subsidised or Free Health Screening Packages under MediShield Life
Ministry of HealthSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns Ms Joan Pereira’s inquiry on whether the Ministry of Health would consider providing subsidised or free health screening packages for individuals insured under MediShield Life. Minister for Health Gan Kim Yong replied that there are no plans to include screenings under MediShield Life as the scheme is intended for large hospital bills and premium affordability. He highlighted that subsidised screenings are already available via the Screen for Life programme and regional health systems, offering free tests and follow-up subsidies for Pioneers and CHAS cardholders. These initiatives allow healthcare workers to assist residents with abnormal results through chronic disease management and lifestyle programmes. Finally, the Minister noted that the Ministry of Health is reviewing the Screen for Life programme under the War on Diabetes to further support screening and medical follow-ups.
Transcript
47 Ms Joan Pereira asked the Minister for Health whether the Ministry will consider providing subsidised or free health screening packages for the insured under MediShield Life.
Mr Gan Kim Yong: Evidence-based health screening plays an important role in helping individuals to detect chronic diseases early for prompt treatment. Since 2014, the Health Promotion Board has partnered general practitioner (GP) clinics under the Screen for Life programme to provide free screening tests and subsidies for follow-up consultations for Pioneers and Community Health Assist Scheme cardholders.
In addition, community health screenings are conducted by our Regional Health Systems. For example, the Eastern Health Alliance provides residents in the East with community health screenings and lifestyle management programmes. Healthcare workers will follow up with patients with abnormal test results to help them with their chronic disease management.
As subsidised health screenings are widely available for different groups of Singaporeans, there are no plans to include these under MediShield Life which is a basic health insurance scheme to help pay for large hospital bills and selected outpatient treatments. We need to balance the scope of coverage and the amount of benefits with premium affordability.
As part of the War on Diabetes, the Ministry of Health (MOH) is reviewing the Screen for Life programme to encourage and support more Singaporeans in the target groups to undergo evidence-based screening and, importantly, to follow-up with a doctor if they have any abnormal screening results.