More medical coverage

More medical coverage

By April Chong
		Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan (left) said the ministry will review how to support community hospitals, study the withdrawal limit out of Medisave and insurance coverage and see if $150-a-day is adequate. --ST PHOTO: CAROLINE CHIA

WITH 'step-down care' being the Ministry of Health's next big area of focus, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan on Wednesday outlined some of the areas he will zoom in on in the coming months.

These include the funding of long-term care and the adequacy of insurance coverage for treatment at community hospitals, he told Parliament on Wednesday.

To cope with the demands of a rapidly ageing population, the Health Ministry will move beyond acute hospitals - which are now well covered by basic health-care insurance scheme MediShield - and focus instead on care outside such hospitals.

Appropriate funding for long-term care, including at-home nursing, is an area the ministry is studying and will be placing more emphasis on, he said.

'I'm quite sure it will be an area of focus in next year's Budget debate for the Ministry of Health,' he said without elaborating.

He was replying to Nominated MP Paulin Tay Straughan's question on whether MediShield is sufficient to cover those with chronic diseases and what plans there were to alleviate their health-care bills.

Another MP, Dr Lam Pin Min (Ang Mo Kio GRC), raised a separate concern: With the maximum daily withdrawal limit for inpatient care at acute hospitals set at $450 - much more than the $150 at community hospitals - the disparity might encourage patients to stay put in acute hospitals rather than transfer out.

Mr Khaw said the ministry will review how to support community hospitals, study the withdrawal limit out of Medisave and insurance coverage and see if $150-a-day is adequate.

He explained that distinct claim limits had been set because of the differing cost of care. The cost of care is lower in community hospitals, hence the claim limit is also lower.

'Sometimes if you set it too high, it may encourage providers to overprice knowing that somebody is paying the bill,' he said.

Read the full story in Thursday's edition of The Straits Times.