Speaking on the sidelines of an event to raise awareness on breast cancer recently, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Lim Hwee Hua suggested that Medisave be extended to include coverage for mammograms. Similar calls were also made by REACH contributors for the use of Medisave to be extended to include important health screenings.

Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan subsequently responded to Minister Lim’s suggestion via the media and MOH blog. He noted that there was a need to ensure that Singaporeans did not deplete their Medisave savings prematurely, and that as a rule of thumb, anything costing less than $100 should be paid out of pocket. Medisave was introduced primarily to pay for hospitalisation and acute medical care.

Whilst agreeing with the general sentiment on the benefits of early screening and preventive treatment, he shared that his Ministry promoted health screenings by subsidising them, and hence making them more affordable. For instance, breast cancer screening such as mammograms now cost as low as $50 for women above 40, and $25 for those who had not had checks in recent years.

However, Minister Khaw assured that he would study the issue further, and urged Singaporeans to give him time to do so.