Medishield Coverage for Congenital

7 Feb 2013

Question No. 1027

Name of Person: Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng

Question

To ask the Minister for Health if he will implement measures to provide MediShield coverage for persons born with congenital illnesses and diagnosed before 1 March 2013, who are excluded from the recently announced Marriage and Parenthood Package.

Answer

1 MediShield is a health insurance scheme which focuses on inpatient hospitalisation and selected outpatient treatment like chemotherapy and dialysis. My Ministry recently announced the extension of MediShield coverage to congenital conditions for Singaporeans born on or after 1 March 2013. Existing policyholders will also receive coverage for congenital conditions diagnosed on or after 1 March 2013. Conditions diagnosed prior to the extension in cover are considered pre-existing and hence will not be covered under MediShield. Covering pre-existing conditions will lead to higher premiums for all.

2 My Ministry understands the concerns of Singaporeans whose children were diagnosed with congenital conditions before 1 March 2013, and has put in place further measures to address these concerns. We have set up a new scheme, Medifund Junior, from 1 March 2013 to provide additional financial assistance for healthcare bills incurred by children. Children with congenital conditions diagnosed before 1 March 2013 will benefit from this additional assistance under Medifund Junior, if their families face difficulties with their healthcare bills.  

3 Medifund Junior will help us to more effectively target families with higher needs and provide added assurance to Singaporeans.