Nation-wide hospitalization plan, MediShield Life, will be implemented on 1 November 2015. Ministry of Health has already identified 25,000 Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents with serious pre-existing illnesses who will have to pay extra 30% extra premium for the next 10 years to cover the pre-existing illnesses. After which, they would pay the same premiums as their peers. If you belong to this group, you will receive a letter with details about your new MediShield Life coverage, premiums and subsidies, including the Additional Premiums. The various subsidies for MediShield Life premiums will also apply to Additional Premiums.
If you currently not insured with Medishield, you will also receive the letter soon to inform you on the premiums and subsidies. For others, you will only receive the letter one month before your plan is due for annual renewal from either the CPF Board (cover under MediShield) or your private insurer (cover under Integrated Shield Plan) with details about your premiums and subsidies for the MediShield Life component of your Integrated Shield Plan.
The broad categories of serious pre-existing illnesses are:
Broad categories | Indicative examples (not exhaustive) |
Cancer | Lung cancer, colorectal cancer, breast cancer, stomach cancer |
Blood disorders | Parkinson’s disease, Muscular dystrophy, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) |
Heart or other circulatory system diseases | Heart attack, Coronary artery disease, Chronic ischaemic heart disease |
Cerebrovascular diseases | Stroke |
Respiratory diseases | Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease |
Liver diseases | Alcoholic liver disease , Chronic hepatitis, Fibrosis or cirrhosis of liver |
Autoimmune/ Immune System diseases | Systemic lupus erythematosus, Human Immunodeficiency Virus/ Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/ AIDS) |
Renal diseases | Congenital heart disease, Congenital renal disease, Biliary atresia |
Psychiatric conditions | Schizophrenia |
Chronic condition with serious complications | Hypertensive heart disease, Hypertensive kidney disease, Diabetes with kidney complications, Diabetes with eye complications |
Those whose pre-existing conditions are less serious or are well-controlled, such as well-controlled diabetes, or hypertension with no complications, osteoarthritis, pre-cancers, fibroids or cysts or those who were hospitalized due to a one-off event, such as an accident or dengue are not subjected to the 30% additional premium.