How many Singaporeans have opted out of the MediShield scheme to date

18 Apr 2005

Question No:  68  

Question

Name of the Person: Dr Amy Khor Lean Suan, Member of Parliament for Hong Kah GRC

To ask the Minister for Health (a) how many Singaporeans have opted out of the MediShield scheme to date; (b) of these, how many are women; (c) what is the profile of these women in terms of their age, marital and employment status; (d) whether the Ministry will consider allowing those who have opted out of MediShield one last opportunity to opt in; and (e) if so, what conditions are likely to be imposed for the opt in.

Reply

Reply From MOH

Dr Amy Khor asked me for some MediShield opt-out data. I have earlier clarified with her that she is actually interested in the number of Singaporeans who have completely opted out of catastrophic medical insurance, and not just MediShield. Besides MediShield, Singaporeans can choose from among 15 private catastrophic medical insurance plans. 

We encourage Singaporeans to subscribe to catastrophic medical insurance. Failure to do so may render one in financial difficulty in the event of a major illness resulting in a huge hospital bill. 

That is why we operate MediShield on an opt-out basis. Its auto-cover feature kicks in as soon as an individual starts working and contributing to the CPF, unless he or she opts out. Singaporeans appreciate the need for catastrophic medical insurance. Nine in ten working Singaporeans are insured under MediShield or its equivalent private insurance products. 

At present, about 400,000 adult Singaporeans are not covered by any Medisave-approved catastrophic medical insurance. Of this, nearly 60% or 227,000 are women. 

Among these women, about 40% are above 60 years old. CPF does not have readily available information on their marital and employment status. Presumably, some would opt out of MediShield after they cease working. But many remain insured as their spouses see the benefits of continuing coverage. Singaporeans who have opted out have the opportunity to join MediShield anytime. However, to be fair to those who have stayed loyal to M ediShield, CPF would have to subject these applicants to medical underwriting and hence medical examinations. Therefore, we strongly advise those who are uninsured to opt in while they are healthy, to avoid future regrets.