Almost all patients to get higher subsidies in revised pallative care framework

The revisions in the subsidy framework will take effect in 2024.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) declared that it will enhance financing for pallative care and adjust claim limits for MediShield to improve affordability and accessibility to palliative care.

The subsidies to be improved are for inpatient palliative care, home palliative care, and day hospice care. 

According to MOH, the new framework will allow all Singapore Citizens to get subsidies of at least 50%, regardless of their Per Capita Household Income (PCHI). 

“Overall, almost all patients will benefit from higher subsidies, with increases of up to 55 percentage points. These changes will be implemented in the fourth quarter of 2024,” it said.

Under the framework, MediShield Life claim limits will grow for inpatient palliative care. The daily claim limits will be raised from $250 to $460 for general inpatient palliative care, and from $350 to $500 for specialised inpatient palliative care. 

The MediSave, meanwhile, will remove $2,500 lifetime withdrawal limit for all home palliative care and day hospice patients who use their own MediSave. This will be effective in the first quarter of next year.

“The limit will remain for patients who tap on their family members’ MediSave, to preserve it for their own healthcare needs,” it added.

MOH will also improve drug and vaccine subsidies for long-term medical care services which include nursing home, home medical, and palliative care services.

It “will extend drug and vaccine subsidies of at least 50%, similar to what they would receive at public healthcare institutions, to all patients of MOH-funded providers of eligible long-term medical care services.”

“This will improve access to subsidised drugs and vaccines, especially for homebound patients,” said MOH.

Before, the subisidies are only deployed to long-term medical care patients from lower- to middle-income households. 

The ministry will also extend drug and vaccine subsidies for patients utilising nursing home, home medical, home palliative care, and day hospice services with those at Specialist Outpatient Clinics. Such changes will take place in the fourth quarter of 2024.