The changes to certain MediShield Life coverage of cancer drug treatments and other subsidies will take effect in September 2022, said the Ministry of Health (MOH).
In a statement announcing these changes on Tuesday (17 Aug), the MOH said that this is to allow sufficient time for existing patients to complete their current course of treatment and adjust treatment plans where necessary, as there is a small proportion of patients who may find that their treatment will be no longer claimable or that their claim limit has been lowered with no subsidy.
The changes are based on the recommendations by the MediShield life Council accepted by the Government. One major change is the creation of a list of clinically proven and cost-effective outpatient treatments that can be claimed under MediShield Life with more granular claim limits ranging from S$200 to S$9,600 per month.
A separate claim limit of S$1,200 a year will be included for cancer drug services such as scans, blood tests, and doctor consultations.
The list will cover about 90 per cent of existing treatments in the public sector, including some commonly used treatments that do not meet the cost-effective and clinical criteria.
Currently, patients can claim up to S$3,000 a month under MediShield Life for all outpatient cancer drug treatments and related services. According to MOH, this has led to the rise in cancer drug prices to maximise claims.
These changes, among others, will mean that almost 90 per cent of subsidies cancer patients using the drugs on the list will have their cancer drug bills to be fully covered by subsidy and MediShield life, with a co-payment from MediSave.
This is an increase from the current 70 per cent of such patients, MOH noted.
Changes to MediSave withdrawal limits
Another change will be the adjustment of MediSave withdrawal limits, which MOH said that it will be done in tandem with the MediShield Life changes.
Currently, patients can claim S$1,200 a month for all cancer drug treatments and services with an additional S$600 a year for cancer scans.
The revised limit will be S$1,200 per month for cancer drug treatments with MediShield Life claim limit above S$5,400 and another S$600 per month for other treatments on the positive list.
There will also be an additional S$600 a month per year for cancer drug services and other cancer scans including those done for post-treatment monitoring and radiotherapy patients.
Changes to Medication Assistance Fund
Beyond that, the Government will also subsidise more cancer drug treatments and extend the Medication Assistance Fund (MAF) subsidies to more citizens by raising the eligible income criteria.
At the moment, subsidised patients received up to 75 per cent subsidy for drugs under the Standard Drug List and Medication Assistance Fund.
Now, 55 more cancer drugs will be added to the list which will increase support for about 150 cancer drug treatments, said MOH.
The new MediShield Life claim limits for cancer drug treatments will be set based on post-subsidy bills.
MAF subsidies will also be extended to now cover Singaporeans with a per capita household income of between S$2,800 to S$3,300 and S$3,300 and S$6,500 a month of 50 per cent and 40 per cent respective.
Those with a household income of S$6,500 will not receive MAF subsidies. However, “exceptional deserving cases” may appeal to the MAF.
MOH stated that this apply to both cancer and non-cancer drugs listed on MAF.
Changes to Integrated Shield Plan (IP) Coverage
Finally, to ensure that IPs are aligned in encouraging the use of clinically proven and cost-effective cancer drug treatments, IPs will be required to only cover treatments that are on the MediShield Life positive list and set claim limits for each cancer drug.
The changes will apply to all IPs sold and renewed from April 2023 onwards.
MOH said that this change, together with the changes to MediShield Life and MediSave, will “help contribute to the affordability of cancer drug treatments and sustainability of premiums in the long run”.
Netizens question the delay in implementation
As announced by MOH, these changes will take effect in September 2022, a little over a year from now.
While some netizens on TODAY and Channel NewsAsia Facebook pages welcome these changes, many have questioned the timing of the implementation. A handful others also wondered why taxes can be implemented so quickly but medical subsidies take a lot longer.
A couple of commenters pointed out that some cancer patients might not be able to make it by the time the changes are implemented next year.
One person questioned the reasoning behind the delayed implementation, wondering if the Government doesn’t want to allow current patients to adjust their treatment plans if the changes were implemented now.
