Healthcare financing information for cancer treatment
Many patients and their families are anxious when it comes to cancer treatment costs. The general perception is that it is a long drawn out treatment and is expensive. In addition, there is uncertainty over what is covered by Medisave and other national medical plans as well as what insurance they have.
The purpose of this article is to assist families with some information on medical financials for cancer treatment, particularly in relation to chemotherapy, hormonal therapy and the newly included class of drugs called targeted therapy. Almost all our chemotherapy treatment is outpatient which minimizes cost. We do not provide information here for radiation and surgical treatment.
Firstly, many cancers are cured. That is what we are in the business for! We do see patients at different stages of cancer and some are at high risk for a return of the cancer after surgery. These patients often receive adjuvant treatment. This means a defined course of treatment to reduce the recurrence risk. The chemotherapy in such cases are usually a few months (usually six months or less) and some patients are on hormonal or other drugs for a few years. In other situations, patients already have serious diseases or recurrences and are on a more prolonged course of treatment.
The national plan for medical cover is the Medisave scheme and coverage is almost universal for Singaporeans and permanent residents. Immediate family members can also assist in paying the medical bills for patients.
MediShield covers hospitalisation expenses and certain approved outpatient treatments, such as kidney dialysis, chemotherapy and radiotherapy for cancer treatment. It is a medical insurance plan, so there is a premium, deductible and co-insurance portion. There is also a limit to claim for different categories.
A deductible is the initial amount you need to pay for claim(s) made in a policy year, before MediShield coverage starts. Claimable Limits refers to the portion of your patient bill that is eligible for reimbursement. Co-insurance is the percentage of the bill you need to pay on the portion of the bill above the deductible.
Integrated Shield Plans - Many Singaporeans have also supplemented their basic coverage with integrated private medical insurance (PMI) policies ("Integrated Shield plans") for treatment. A Medisave-approved Integrated Shield Plan is a catastrophic medical insurance plan which offers additional benefits on top of that provided by MediShield.
Some common questions asked by our patients and their families are:
1. Can I use my MediShield/Medisave and what are claimable?
Medisave can be used to pay for selected outpatient treatments, subject to the withdrawal limits. MediShield covers hospitalisation expenses and certain approved outpatient treatments, such as kidney dialysis, chemotherapy and radiotherapy for cancer treatment.
| List of Outpatient Treatments Covered under Medisave |
|---|
| Type of outpatient treatment |
| Chemotherapy* |
| MRI, CT scans and diagnostics related to neoplasm treatment |
| (Effective 1 April 2008) |
* The Medisave of your non-immediate family members may be used for these outpatient treatments at restructured hospitals/ medical clinics, subject to eligibility conditions such as the patient must be a dependant of the active Medisave Account holder and has exhausted his own and his immediate family members’ Medisave accounts. There is no change to the prevailing withdrawal limits.
| List of Outpatient Treatments Covered under MediShield |
|---|
| Type of outpatient treatment |
Chemotherapy for Cancer/Certain Benign Neoplasms
|
2. How much can I claim for outpatient chemotherapy from MediShield/ MediSave /PMI?
| List of Outpatient Treatments Covered under MediSave | |
|---|---|
| Type of outpatient treatment | Withdrawal limit |
Chemotherapy*
|
Chemotherapy*
|
| MRI, CT scans and diagnostics related to neoplasm treatment (Effective 1 April 2008) | $600 per patient per year |
| List of Outpatient Treatments Covered under MediShield | |
|---|---|
| Type of outpatient treatment | Withdrawal limit |
Chemotherapy for Cancer/Certain Benign Neoplasms
|
Chemotherapy*
|
As for PMI withdrawal limit will determined by private insurer and the policy coverage.
3. How can I claim from MediShield/ Medisave?
You can do the following to claim from your MediShield/Medisave with regards to the outpatient treatment:
- Inform us that you wish to use Medisave to pay for your outpatient treatment. The staff will then ask you for your NRIC/Passport or CPF Membership Card. If you are paying for your family member, please also produce the patient’s NRIC/Passport
- The clinic may require information on how much Medisave is available for payment of the outpatient treatment. You will be able to obtain this information by logging in to my cpf Online Services - My Statement, with your SingPass.
- You and the patient (if applicable) will then need to sign a Medisave Authorisation Form to allow CPF Board to use your Medisave to pay the outpatient treatment bill.
- If your employer or insurer is paying for your outpatient treatment, please bring along your Letter of Guarantee or Employer Identity Pass (i.e. if your clinic already has an existing arrangement with your employer or insurer).
- You can claim from MediShield by informing us that you are insured under the scheme and you wish to make a claim. The hospital will submit your claim to CPF Board. After determining the amount payable from MediShield, CPF Board will make payment directly to us. The remaining amount may be settled with Medisave and/or cash.
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