Eldercare services to grow

IN THE next decade, the life expectancy for Singaporeans at age 65 could hit 86.

With better nutrition, lifestyle and medical technology, Singaporeans are living longer. In fact, a recent United Nations study projected Singapore's population could be the fourth oldest in the world by 2050.

The challenge of expanding the long-term and geriatric care sectors to meet an ageing patient profile was an issue highlighted by nine MPs in Parliament yesterday.

Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan, responding during the debate on the Health Ministry's budget, made it clear the Government is cognizant of the challenges and has a slew of initiatives in store.

He said three new nursing homes are being planned, and three old ones being rebuilt with larger facilities and better locations in HDB towns.

Nonetheless, Mr Khaw said the fate of seniors being 'permanent residents in nursing homes' must be avoided.

[SOURCE: http://www.straitstimes.com]

$57m more for IMH follow-up care

 

THE lack of follow-up care for discharged mental illness sufferers can lead to troubling anti-social behaviour and even suicide.

Several MPs pointed out the danger of this in Parliament yesterday.

They noted that while mental illness can be controlled with medication, some patients stop taking their medicine after they are discharged from the Institute of Mental Health, and become a danger to themselves and others.

In response, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan promised an additional $57 million to go into areas like a long-term monitoring and risk assessment system for discharged patients.

This is on top of the $123 million committed in 2007 to the National Mental Health Blueprint.

Speaking during the debate on the Health Ministry's budget, Ms Indranee Rajah (Tanjong Pagar GRC) told of a resident who was convinced her neighbour upstairs was causing water to flow down and flood her flat.

[SOURCE: http://www.straitstimes.com]

Bed crunch at hospices

 

HOSPICES are so short of beds that terminally ill patients sometimes have to be put on a waiting list for a place, with some dying before they can be admitted.

On some days, two of the four hospices here, Dover Park and Assisi, have 10 to 20 patients waiting to get in, they said. The waiting time at Assisi can be up to two weeks.

Together with Bright Vision Hospital and St Joseph's Home and Hospice, which were not able to give figures, they provide some 130 beds for a population whose demand for such care is growing as it ages.

In 2008, 1,188 patients needed hospice beds and another 3,913 sought palliative care at home. The figures for last year are not yet available.

The Health Ministry said it was aware of the growing demand and was 'gearing up' to expand bed capacity, as well as to recruit and train more palliative specialists such as doctors and nurses.

Hospices admit terminally ill patients who cannot be cared for at home, or who need temporary alleviation of distressing symptoms. They offer special care for the dying that cannot be provided by hospitals or nursing homes.

[SOURCE: http://www.straitstimes.com]

Group to review Healthcare screening

THE Health Ministry will set up an expert group to review the range of healthcare screening available here, and recommend a framework to determine what is appropriate health screening to ensure that Singaporeans do not get fleeced.

Professor Lee Hin Peng, a senior public health specialist who has a special interest in cancer screening and prevention, will chair this expert group, said Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan.

The group will come under the auspices of the Academy of Medicine, said Mr Khaw, responding to calls from several MPs to allow Medisave to be used for health screening, subject to certain limits and guidelines.

Mr Khaw added that the Health Ministry will also study the financial implications of health screening 'so that should we decide to open up Medisave for it, we will know how to prescribe the necessary withdrawal limits.'

'This was the approach we took when we opened up Medisave for outpatient chronic disease management. It is a prudent approach to exploit the benefits of Medisave liberalisation, while minimising the downside risks of over-servicing and over-consumption,' he explained.

A firm believer in prevention, Mr Khaw said regular screening and early detection followed by medical intervention and lifestyle changes can avoid future complications and costly medical treatment down the road.

Acknowledging that there is a case for allowing some Medisave withdrawals for health screening, he, however, posed several questions.

'The question is what kind of health screening? There is a wide range of health screening tests; not all are fully justified or necessary. More screening is not necessarily better,' he said during the debate on the Health Ministry's budget in Parliament on Tuesday.

' Some accrue benefits more to the provider than the consumer. We must be mindful of such pitfalls, as we may be opening a Pandora's Box. A mindless liberalisation of Medisave for health screening may not improve health outcomes, but instead prematurely deplete Medisave balances.'

Citing genetic testing as an example, Mr Khaw noted that there are many other sophisticated screening tests which are being promoted.

'All are expensive. The benefits or cost-effectiveness of such tests are often dubious. I call this unethical screening,' he said. 'Health screening is therefore a complex issue and the risks associated with unethical screening are real. We must not fall into the trap of such commercial practices.'

[SOURCE: http://www.straitstimes.com]

Medisave withdrawals go up

THE daily Medisave withdrawal limit for community hospital patients will be raised from $150 to $250 from June 1, and the annual cap on withdrawals will also go up from $3,500 to $5,000, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan announced in Parliament on Tuesday.

The higher withdrawal limits will reduce the out-of-pocket expenses of patients, benefiting both the sub-acute patients as well as those with multiple admissions to community hospitals within a year.

Mr Khaw said some 7,000 patients will potentially benefit from the move, and over 75 per cent of them will be able to pay their full bill using Medisave. Together with the enhanced nine-tier subsidies introduced last July and the MediShield cover, the final bill could be much smaller, he added.

On the revised withdrawal limits, he said they are in line with the expansion of the community hospitals sector to make such care more affordable for sub-acute patients, such as those with fractures, and elderly with kidney and urinary tract infections.

'Traditionally, such patients are kept in acute hospitals where their Medisave withdrawal limits are higher, at $450 per day. But it makes sense for the patients to be transferred to a community hospital where the total operating cost is lower,' explained the minister.

'However, current withdrawal limits may deter such patients from moving to community hospitals because of higher out-of-pocket payments. The adjustments should make it cheaper for sub-acute patients to move from an acute hospital to a community hospital.'

Further, to help patients such as those suffering from stroke or fracture, to pay for day rehabilitation services, Mr Khaw said the daily Medisave withdrawal limit for this payment will be raised from $20 to $25.

'Being able to access good rehabilitative care near their homes after their discharge will make a significant difference to patients' recovery and subsequent quality of life,' said Mr Khaw. 'We are working with the providers to raise the clinical standard of community-based rehabilitation care. We will involve more skilled therapists in the delivery of care and establish individual care plans and improved outcome monitoring to help ensure patients receive the care they need.'

[SOURCE: http://www.straitstimes.com]

imsavvy Cartoon Clips

 

Go here to checkout the animated clips!

http://www.cpf.gov.sg/imsavvy/toonsgallery_ani_clips.asp

Medisave-Approved Medical Insurance for serving Public Officers

 

AIA has been awarded the new tender to provide Medisave-Approved Medical Insurance for serving public officers and their family members (i.e. spouse and unmarried children).

Public officers and their family members will be able to enjoy specially discounted rates for AIA’s HealthShield Gold Plans.

(All full-time employees of Ministries and Statutory boards who possess a staff card issued by the Ministry/Statutory Board and their immediate family are eligible for the premium discounts)

There is quite a number of eligible Statutory Boards, i.e. A%Star, AVA, CPF, DSTA, HDB, ITE, JTC, LTA, Polytechnics, National Arts Council, NLB, URA and many others..

If you are unsure if you are eligible, please send me an email and i will check it out for you. mark.lim@aia.com.sg

Stay Healthy!

Medishield Benefits

This is the benefits that all Singaporeans enjoy from their basic Medishield plan.

MediShield premiums are paid yearly from your Medisave Account. The premium is calculated based on age at your next birthday when the cover commences.

Principal Causes of Death in Singapore 2008

 

 

source:

http://www.moh.gov.sg/mohcorp/statistics.aspx?id=5526

What is Mediguard Scheme?

 

The Mediguard Scheme was launched by the Singapore Government.

It is a joint scheme between the Public Trustees Office & AIA.

The aim is to enable minors whose money is being held by the Public Trustee’s Office to consult GPs without having to pay.

 

Illness covered under the scheme include:

- flu

- colds

- hand, foot & mouth disease

- one-off health screening

 

The premium is $267.80 for 2-years cover paid directly from the minor’s estate.

What is ElderCare Fund?

 

The ElderCare Fund is an endowment fund set up by the Singapore Government using budget surplus to sustain financing for eldercare.

 

The interest earned is used to subsidize nursing home care for the elderly run by Voluntary Welfare Organizations.

 

Prior to ElderCare Fund, subsidies were paid directly from the Government’s budget.

What is Medifund?

 

Medifund is an endowment fund set up by the Singapore Government.

 

The Government uses interest earned from the fund to help the poor to pay for their medical bills.

What is Interim Assistance Programme for the Elderly (IDAPE) ?

 

IDAPE was launched by the Singapore government to take care of Singaporeans who are not eligible to join ElderShield.

 

Individuals covered under the scheme need not pay any premiums. The payment is dependent on the individual’s per capita household income.

 

The scheme is currently run by NTUC Income.

What is ElderShield?

 

ElderShield is a severe disability insurance scheme launched by the Singapore Government.

 

It is aimed at providing long-term care protection to elderly Singaporeans.

 

This scheme is currently run by 2 insurers, NTUC Income & Great Eastern Life.

All CPF members who reach the age of 40 are automatically covered under the scheme, unless they opt out.

 

The scheme pays a cash benefit of $300 a month for up to a maximum of 60-months if the insured (policy-holder) is unable to perform at least 3 ADLs.

What is MediShield?

 

MediShield is a low cost catastrophic medical insurance scheme.

In 2005, the CPF board privatized the MediShield Plus plans through NTUC Income.

The 2 MediShield Plus plans were integrated into NTUC Income’s IncomeShield, known as IncomeShield Plan MA & MB.

 

Annual premiums for MediShield are deducted automatically from the CPF member’s Medisave.

MediShield is renewed automatically every year until the member reaches 80 years old.

 

The main features of Medishield are:

1] Claimable Limit

- The portion the bill that is eligible for reimbursement

2] Deductible

- The initial amount that the claimant needs to pay for claims made in a policy year, before payouts from MediShield

- Deductibles only need to be paid once in a policy year

- The deductible keeps MediShield premiums affordable (since smaller amounts can be paid using Medisave)

- For approved outpatient treatments claimable under MediShield, the deductibles are waived

- For Class C ward it is $1,000

- For Class B2 and above wards it is $1,500

3] Co-insurance

- This is the percentage of the bill the claimant needs to pay on the portion of the bill above the deductible

- Co-insurance for inpatient bills is three-tiered, ranging from 20% to 10% as the bill size increases (the larger the bill, the lower the co-insurance needed to be paid)

- MediShield pays between 80% - 90% of the claim amount that exceeds the deductible

 

Go to this page for an estimate of how much you may need to pay:

https://www.cpf.gov.sg/cpf_trans/ssl/medicalEnh/medi_calc_step1.asp

Here’s an example i generated using the link given above, 7 days stay in a community B2 ward:

Follow this link to see Benefits & Premium tables for Medishield:

http://havenoworries.blogspot.com/2009/10/medishield-benefits.html

What is Medisave?

 

Medisave is a compulsory savings scheme to help Singaporeans save and pay for their hospitalization expenses.

It was introduced in 1984, it pays 4% interest yearly.

 

The Scheme has 2 main features:

1] Minimum Sum (SG$29,500)

2] Contribution Ceiling (SG$34,500)

- This ceiling serves as a limit to members’ contribution

- Any excess amount will be transferred to the Special Account (SA) [OR the Retirement account if the member is above 55 years of age]

 

Medisave can be used for the following expenses:

- hospitalization expenses

- maternity charges

- approved outpatient treatments

- day surgery charges

- psychiatric treatment

- stay in community hospitals, hospices..etc

- gamma knife treatment (for brain tumor & other dysfunction)

- day care charges

- premiums for Medishield, Eldershield & other Medisave approved medical insurance schemes

 

For those who prefer higher coverage for their hospital expenses they can use their Medisave to purchase an enhanced plan such as AIA’s Healthshield, enhanced plans are integrated with Medishield, and provide protection on top of what Medishield is providing.

Healthcare in Singapore

 

Healthcare in Singapore is divided into 2 regions and served by 2 major healthcare groups:

 

 

Eastern region ~ SingHealth

 

 

Western region ~ NHG (National Healthcare Group)

Singapore Hospital Wards

 

Means testing for public hospital in Singapore started in 1st January 2009.

The government will start assessing new patients' entitlement to subsidies for class B2 and class C wards based on their tax-declared incomes or, for non-working patients, the value of their homes.

 

General fixtures/conditions of the different Wards (differs for different hospital)

Class A1+/Deluxe:

- Air-conditioned single room

- attached bath room and toilet

- toiletries

- television

- telephone

- mini safe

- fridge

- fully automated electric bed

- choice of meals

- optional sleeper unit

 

Class A1:

- Air-conditioned single room with attached bath room and toilet

- toiletries

- television

- telephone

- fully automated electric bed

- choice of meals

- optional sleeper unit

 

Class B1:

- Air-conditioned 4-bedded room with attached bath room and toilet

- television

- telephone

- semi-automated electric bed

- choice of meals

 

Class B2:

- 6-bedded room

- naturally ventilated with individual ceiling fans

- semi-automated electric bed

Subsidy Available: 

Highest Subsidy ~ 65% (income < $3200)

Lowest Subsidy ~ 50% (income > $5201)

 

Class C:

- 8/9-bedded room

- naturally ventilated

Subsidy Available: 

 Highest Subsidy ~ 80% (income < $3200)

Lowest Subsidy ~ 65% (income > $5201)

 

Estimated Cost of Hospital stay:

Classification:	Cost per day (S$) (Subsidised Rate):	Cost for 1 week (S$) (Subsidised Rate):
A1+/Deluxe	300 - 450	2100 - 3150
A1	250 - 300	1750 - 2100
B1	160 -170	1120 - 1190
B2	50 – 60 (17.50 - 30)	350 – 420 (122.50 - 210)
C	30 (6 – 10.5)	210 (42 – 73.5)

 

 

For more detailed information refer to:

http://www.hospitals.sg/singapore-starts-means-testing-hospitals

 

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