SINGAPORE:  , Singaporeans and permanent residents will be able to use more of their MediSave to reduce their out-of-pocket costs at healthcare services.
Currently, Singaporeans and PRs aged 60 and above can use up to S$ 300 ( US$ 225 ) annually under the Flexi-MediSave scheme to pay for outpatient medical treatment at polyclinics, public specialist outpatient clinics and Community Health Assist Scheme ( CHAS ) clinics.
From Oct 1, this limit will be raised to S$ 400 annually, the Ministry of Health ( MOH) said on Friday ( Mar 7 ).
For outpatient scans, including magnetic resonance imaging ( MRI ) and computerised tomography ( CT) scans, the MediSave withdrawal limit will be doubled from S$ 300 to S$ 600 from 2026 for all Singaporeans and PRs.
These modifications are expected to gain more than 500, 000 individuals who use MediSave for outpatient imaging each year, and about 700, 000 seniors who click on Flexi-MediSave.
These presentations were made by Health Minister Ong Ye Kung on Friday as he laid out his agency’s saving ideas for the year.
Responding to Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh’s criticism of the government’s poor “budget marksmanship”, Mr Ong defended the recent Goods and Services Tax ( GST ) increase.
” We need the extra Tax income, paid for largely by those who are better , out, foreigners and tourists, to continue to support common and economical healthcare , for Singaporeans. The assistance given in care is nearly all fundamental, instead , of tickets”, said Mr Ong.
” We may say about the best schedule for raising tax revenues. However, if we , do not increase the profit in day while the people ages and medical expenditure escalates, we won’t get debating finances marksmanship next.
” There wouldn’t even be a , matched funds target board to target for, as our governmental position will be strong in the red.”
Mr Ong said that this year’s medical resources is S$ 21 billion. By 2030, it is , estimated to be over S$ 30 billion.
He points out that the 2 percentage point increase in Taxpayer provides around S$ 5 billion more in profit.
MORE DENTAL Grants
The government also plans to improve exposure to medical care by raising payment restrictions and allowing the use of Flexi-MediSave for some medical treatments, including root canal treatments.
Mr Ong said that there is a longstanding , collaboration between schools and MOH to protect the teeth of the young, but oral health deteriorates in adulthood.
A person needs at least 20 natural teeth to chew effectively. However,  , only 56 per cent of people aged 55 and above in Singapore have 20 or more natural teeth – compared to the full set of 32 teeth.
The health minister said that he has met many residents who chose to extract a decayed tooth rather than go through a root canal, as extraction is cheaper and easier to do.
” But this is penny wise and pound foolish. We will have fewer and fewer teeth , as we grow old if we take this approach. This diminishes our ability to chew effectively, and in our old age affects our , nutritional intake, “he said.
To improve oral health, subsidy limits will be raised for seven types of restorative dental treatments for lower-income families and those in the Pioneer and Merdeka generations, who are Singaporeans born before 1960.