MediSave Health Insurance Limitations | Can You Pay With MediSave?

Health Insurance | Insurance

Every month, a portion of your salary goes into your MediSave account. It hurts to see how much of one’s “take-home pay” is left. Most Singaporeans think that they can use MediSave to pay for medical bills. But let’s find out the reality here. Yes, you can use MediSave for specific medical expenses. But it is only up to a certain limit. So don’t get rid of your health insurance just yet! In this blog, we discuss MediSave health insurance limitations.

Let’s take a look at when you can use MediSave, as well as the limitations of MediSave.

MediSave Health Insurance Limitations:

When can you use MediSave to pay? MediSave is a national health savings programme in Singapore. A portion of the income is deposited into the MediSave account every month. This sits alongside the other CPF accounts such as the Ordinary Account and Special Account. And you can use MediSave funds to pay for the following types of healthcare expenses:

• Hospitalization and surgical procedures
• Non-acute hospitalizations
• Treatments are provided in the community
• Management of chronic diseases
• Health examinations
• Vaccinations
• Senior care after having a baby
• Premiums for MediShield and Integrated Shield and
• CareShield + Supplement premiums

However, the catch is that there are strict limits on how much you can use. Additionally, the government has rigidly defined what exactly you can or cannot use your MediSave funds for.

Hospitalisation and Surgery

You cannot use your MediSave for a general health check-up visit at the hospital. However, if you are hospitalized or undergo a day surgery, you will be able to use MediSave to pay. There are two types of MediSave limits –  daily hospital limits (that only applies to hospital charges that do not include surgery) and surgical limits (only apply to surgery). So, if you are hospitalized and have surgery, you have the option of claiming up to two different limits.

Hospital Charges

Depending on the type of hospital stay, MediSave limitations will vary.For the first two days, you will be charged $550, and then $400 per day subsequently.  Psychiatric treatment costs around $150 per day. MediSave grants $5,000 per year.  It will cost you around $300 per day for approved day surgeries. However, there are many limitations on surgeries as well. The restrictions for surgery vary depending on the type of procedure.

Non-Acute Hospital Stays

Non-acute hospitalization, such as community hospitals, serve as a resource. They provide patients with long-term care or therapy following the treatment. If you need to stay in a non-acute hospital, you can use MediSave to pay for your hospital bills. However, it comes with certain limits.  Approved community hospitals will cost you $250 per day. The permitted amount is $5000. Approved convalescent hospitals will cost you $50 per day. And the permitted amount is $3,000 per year. Day hospitals that have been approved cost $150 per day.  However, you are only allowed $3,000 per year.

 Treatment for Outpatient

So, what happens if you have a costly medical condition, such as cancer, where post-hospitalization treatment can be expensive? You may be able to use MediSave for the following outpatient treatments – For treatments like Dialysis of the kidneys, it will cost you $450 per month. Additionally, Cancer patients can receive outpatient radiotherapy. And external therapy costs $80 per treatment. There are many more treatments for outpatients that have restrictions

Chronic Disease Management

The MediSave500 programme allows you to use up to $500 per year for outpatient treatments for certain chronic diseases (subject to a 15% co-payment by the patient). Chronic Disease Management Programme (CDMP) is applicable for various conditions. A few of them are listed below –

• Diabetes \sHypertension
• Disorders of the lipids
• Stroke \sAsthma
• COPD is an abbreviation for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Schizophrenia
• Major depressive disorder

Health Screenings

In addition to chronic disease management, the MediSave 500 / MediSave 700 scheme allows you to use MediSave on certain health screenings and vaccinations. It is not required that you have a chronic medical condition to use it. You can use MediSave health insurance for mammogram screenings. Women over the age of 50  can benefit from the MediSave 500 / 700 plan. Also for selected newborn screening tests are deducted from MediSave 500 / 700. Furthermore, it included Colonoscopy screening (only when recommended) — separate from MediSave 500 / 700; $300 maximum.

These were a few of the important health treatment scenarios where MediSave can’t be used. It comes with various limitations and therefore to get a comprehensive health check-up, you have to pay out of pocket.


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