A Dialogue session with government feedback unit REACH on MediShield Life
Official938LIVE, 22 Jan 2015
The legislation to facilitate the implementation of MediShield Life was introduced in Parliament last week. Among the announcements made was that under it, the Health Minister will have wide-ranging authority to check the income and health status of all those covered under the scheme.
There will be penalties imposed on those who willfully default on premium payments too. Why does enforcement need to be stringent? How much will premiums cost? How much assistance will the government provide to those who need help paying them? How can the scheme be sustainable in the long-term?
Guest: Senior Minister of State for Health and Manpower Dr Amy Khor . Dr Khor is also Chairman of the government feedback group, REACH and members of the public with questions about the scheme.
Post by Official938LIVE.
#AskAmy: Dr Amy Khor tackles questions on MediShield Life online
By Nadia Jansen Hassan, Channel NewsAsia, 5 Feb 2015
By Nadia Jansen Hassan, Channel NewsAsia, 5 Feb 2015
Senior Minister of State for Health Amy Khor took to Facebook on Thursday (Feb 5) to answer questions in a live Q&A session. It focused on the MediShield Life scheme, which will be implemented at the end of this year.
More than 100 questions were posed to Dr Khor, and many citizens were concerned about whether IncomeShield plans will be affected by the implementation of MediShield Life. Dr Khor confirmed that MediShield Life will simply replace the current MediShield.
Another question that came up was whether there are enough beds for C and B2 wards, as MediShield Life is primarily for these classes of wards.
Post by REACHSingapore.
Dr Khor said the Government is expanding Singapore's healthcare capacity by building new hospitals and polyclinics, and ramping up home care services.
Netizens also asked if Singaporeans living overseas can opt out of paying premiums. Dr Khor confirmed that they are required to pay the premiums, in case they return to Singapore to seek medical treatment. MediShield Life is meant to offer universal coverage, she added.
In the session, Dr Khor addressed concerns about affordability. "There will be additional premium support that they can apply for from the Government, which can be up to 100 per cent (support) if they genuinely cannot afford to pay," she said.
“And the same will go for those who are jobless - if they really fall on hard times and they cannot afford to pay. There are all the subsidies available, but they can always apply for additional premium support."
No comments:
Post a Comment