MediSave Care is a long-term care scheme which was launched on 1 October 2020. Under MediSave Care, Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents aged 30 and above who have developed severe disability will be able to make monthly cash withdrawals from their own and/or their spouse’s MediSave for their long-term care needs.

After setting aside a minimum amount to ensure adequacy for other medical expenses, Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents with severe disability will be able to withdraw up to a total of $200/month from their own and/or their spouse’s MediSave. The table below shows the MediSave balances and corresponding monthly withdrawal quanta. 

Table: MediSave Balances and corresponding Monthly MediSave Withdrawal Quantum for  Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents aged 30 and above with severe disability.¹

¹ Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents who have developed severe disability can withdraw from their spouse's MediSave Account  if they have insufficient MediSave balances, and their spouse has MediSave balances of $5,000 or more. Withdrawals from their spouse's MediSave will also be subject to the same MediSave balance thresholds. The total withdrawal from their own and/or spouse's MediSave is capped at $200/month.

MediSave Care is less applicable for Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents below the age of 30 as they are significantly less likely to develop severe disability and need long-term care. They also tend to have lower MediSave balances based on employment history.

Those under the age of 30 who require assistance can tap on various support schemes such as subsidies for early intervention programmes under Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF), and subsidies for therapy services at KK Women's and Children's Hospital and the National University Hospital, and means-tested Government assistance schemes such as the Home Caregiving Grant (HCG) in meeting their long-term care needs.

Government-funded safety nets such as MediFund or ComCare can provide further assistance to Singaporeans who are unable to pay for their care even after Government subsidies and other means of support.

With MediSave Care, the Government is allowing cash withdrawals from MediSave for the first time. Hence, we have decided to start with a more cautious approach. Currently, MediSave Care only allows the applicant to withdraw from his/her own MediSave, supplemented by his/her spouse’s MediSave, for his/her long-term care needs. As the period that individuals could remain in severe disability can vary significantly, the period of withdrawal and amount withdrawn can be substantial. When coupled with other existing withdrawals, allowing those with severe disability to tap on their children’s MediSave for withdrawals could potentially impact their children’s MediSave adequacy and compromise their ability to afford their own healthcare needs. Similarly, allowing MediSave Care withdrawals from the parents of those with severe disability could affect the elderly’s ability to afford their own medical expenses in old age.

Singapore Citizens who are in need in need of financial assistance and have low MediSave balances may apply for ElderFund. If you remain unable to pay for the costs of your long-term care needs, there are additional forms of assistance such as MediFund and ComCare.

If you are eligible to apply for MediSave Care, you can only withdraw up to a combined total of $200 per month from your MediSave and/or your spouse’s MediSave.

Example

1. Husband applies to withdraw $200 monthly from his own MediSave. That is the total maximum withdrawal limit allowed from his and his spouse’s MediSave.

2. If the husband has $12,000 in his MediSave, he is eligible to withdraw $100 monthly from his own MediSave. If his wife’s MediSave balance is at least $10,000, he can apply to withdraw an additional $100 monthly from his wife’s MediSave. The total monthly MediSave Care withdrawal from his and his spouse’s MediSave add up to a maximum of $200.

MediSave Balances and corresponding Monthly Withdrawal Quantum

MediSave is primarily designed to help Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents put aside sufficient savings for their hospitalisation expenses and selected outpatient treatments such as cancer treatments that are more expensive in nature.

The minimum MediSave balance of $5,000 set aside by MediSave Care is to help individuals maintain some savings to pay for their other healthcare bills. 

The monthly cash withdrawal quantum is based on your MediSave balance, or the maximum withdrawal amount that you set when applying for MediSave Care (whichever is lower). 

MediSave Balances and corresponding Monthly Withdrawal Quantum

If you have received voluntary cash contribution from family members or Government top-ups, and the MediSave balance is in the higher tier once again, your corresponding withdrawal quantum will automatically increase.

The MediSave Account is used for healthcare purposes, such as paying for hospitalisation expenses, approved outpatient medical care and approved medical insurance premiums.

The Central Provident Fund (CPF) is a social security system that allows members to set aside savings for retirement. The Ordinary Account is for housing, insurance, investment and education purposes. The Special Account is for retirement income and retirement-related investments.

If you are a Singapore Citizen or Permanent Resident with severe disability, you can make MediSave withdrawals under MediSave Care from your own and your spouse’s MediSave.

If you are not a Singapore Citizen or a Permanent Resident and have developed severe disability, your application to make withdrawal from your own and/or your spouse’s MediSave under MediSave Care will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

To apply for MediSave Care, you should submit an application to the Agency for Integrated Care, and arrange for disability assessment by a MOH-accredited severe disability assessor.

The minimum MediSave Account balance of $5,000 under MediSave Care is carefully set to help individuals maintain some savings to pay for for their healthcare bills.

If you have depleted your MediSave account, you may tap on your spouse's MediSave for long-term care withdrawals, and your family members' MediSave for your other healthcare treatments.

You may also apply for other forms of assistance such as means-tested Government assistance schemes (ElderFund, Home Caregiving Grant) to meet your long-term care costs needs. If you are still unable to pay for your care even after Government subsidies and other means of support, there are other forms of assistance such as MediFund and ComCare.

The Government encourages individuals to review their severe disability insurance coverage carefully to ensure that they have adequate financial protection against severe disability, especially in old age.

Due to the personal savings nature of MediSave, there are no benefits of risk-pooling like CareShield Life, and the withdrawals are constrained by the savings over the working years. The withdrawal limit of $200 under MediSave Care was set to ensure that there would be enough MediSave set aside for other medical purposes such as hospitalisation expenses and selected outpatient treatments which MediSave is primarily designed for.

Government-funded safety nets such as MediFund or ComCare can provide further assistance if you are unable to pay for your care even after Government subsidies and other means of support.

The Government will also review the MediSave withdrawal limits regularly to ensure that basic long-term care costs remain affordable for Singaporeans.

If you are a Singapore Citizen or Permanent Resident who is living overseas, you will be qualified for MediSave Care if you fulfil the following criteria:

a. Aged 30 and above.
b. Certified by a MOH-accredited severe disability assessor to have developed severe disability (i.e. unable to perform three (3) or more Activities of Daily Living (ADLs). You can find the list of MOH-accredited severe disability assessors here.
c. Have a minimum MediSave balance of $5,000.

Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents who are aged 30 and above and have developed severe disability (unable to perform three or more Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)) can apply to make such withdrawals after setting aside a minimum amount.

You may submit an application to the Agency for Integrated Care and arrange for a disability assessment by a MOH-accredited severe disability assessor.

To apply for MediSave Care, you may submit an application to the Agency for Integrated Care, and arrange for a disability assessment by a MOH-accredited severe disability assessor.

The Government allows for cash withdrawals under MediSave Care, also known as MediSave Withdrawals for Long-Term Care, out of recognition that long-term care needs vary significantly across individuals. Allowing cash withdrawals will provide patients and their caregivers the flexibility to decide on their desired care arrangements and long-term care services.

Other existing MediSave limits cater to well-defined care episodes and treatments. MediSave is hence intended to directly pay providers for the exact cost of treatment incurred, up to prevailing withdrawal limits.

MediSave cannot be used to pay for the cost of the disability assessments. However, if you are applying for multiple severe disability schemes, such as CareShield Life and MediSave Care, you will only need to go for one disability assessment.