Rule change sees Medisave claims jump

Jan 28, 2007

TOP OF THE NEWS

Rule change sees Medisave claims jump

By Melissa Sim

THE use of Medisave to pay for outpatient treatment of chronic diseases is catching on, with $3.1 million worth of claims made since the rules were changed in October last year.

The number of claims has been climbing ever since the Government changed tack and decided to allow the use of Medisave for certain outpatient treatments.

About 11,500 claims were made this month, amounting to about $1.2 million, up from 7,000 claims the month before.

The jump is attributed to the fact that the list of chronic conditions was expanded at the beginning of this month to include high blood pressure, high cholesterol and stroke.

When the rules were first changed, only diabetes patients were eligible to use Medisave.

The Government's rationale is that medical costs will be held down in the long term if patients managed their chronic conditions properly with the guidance of their family doctor.

People suffering from these conditions, they believe, will be more willing to make the frequent trips to the doctor if some of the payment came from their Medisave rather than entirely out of their own pockets.

Diabetes treatment accounted for 75 per cent of the claims this month, followed by 20 per cent for high blood pressure.

Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan thinks the number will rise as people start getting used to how the scheme works.

'I think our estimate is that we have about a million people with one of the four conditions. Now we are seeing about 12,000 a month, but I'm sure there are many more such cases.'

A patient can use up to 10 Medisave accounts belonging to him and his immediate family to pay for treatment, up to a limit of $300 a month.

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