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Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament
Er Dr Lee Bee Wah
MP for Nee Soon GRC
Question No. 1027
To ask the Minister for Health (a) how many CHAS blue card holders have used up the maximum amount of subsidies they are entitled to in the past three years; and (b) whether the Ministry will increase the $480 annual cap on CHAS subsidies for chronic conditions.
Answer
1 Between 2014 and 2016, there was an average of about 550,000 Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) Blue cardholders. And each year, about 2% of them used the maximum subsidies for the treatment of chronic conditions.
2 Besides CHAS, the Ministry supports chronic disease patients who seek care and treatment at General Practitioners (GPs) Clinics in other ways. For example, patients can use up to $400 each year per Medisave account under the Chronic Disease Management Programme to defray their cash payment for the treatment of 19 chronic conditions. Through initiatives such as the Family Medicine Clinics and upcoming Primary Care Networks, we are also providing support to selected GPs to deliver more effective chronic disease management for patients.