MediShield Life Scheme (Amendment No. 2) Regulations 2020

No. S 224

MediShield Life Scheme Act 2015

(ACT 4 OF 2015)

MediShield Life Scheme
(Amendment No. 2) Regulations 2020

In exercise of the powers conferred by section 34 of the MediShield Life Scheme Act 2015, the Minister for Health makes the following Regulations:

Citation and commencement

1. These Regulations are the MediShield Life Scheme (Amendment No. 2) Regulations 2020 and come into operation on 1 April 2020.

Amendment of regulation 2

2. Regulation 2(1) of the MediShield Life Scheme Regulations 2015 (G.N. No. S 622/2015) (called in these Regulations the principal Regulations) is amended —

(a)

by inserting, immediately after the definition of “approved dental treatment”, the following definitions:

“ “approved in‑patient palliative care” means any of the following approved medical treatment or services received as an in‑patient of any approved in‑patient palliative care institution:

(a)	general palliative care;
(b)	specialised palliative care;

“approved in‑patient palliative care institution” means any approved medical institution that is —

(a)	an approved community hospital, or a hospice or nursing home; and
(b)	approved by the Minister for the purposes of these Regulations;”; and

(b)

by deleting the words “(other than an approved community hospital)” in the definition of “claim bar date”.

Amendment of regulation 13

3. Regulation 13(4) of the principal Regulations is amended by inserting, immediately after the words “each approved medical treatment or services”, the words “(other than approved in‑patient palliative care)”.

Amendment of Third Schedule

4. Paragraph 16 of the Third Schedule to the principal Regulations is amended by deleting the words “(other than an approved community hospital)”.

Amendment of Fifth Schedule

5. The Fifth Schedule to the principal Regulations is amended —

(a)

by inserting, immediately after the words “OTHER THAN DAY TREATMENT PATIENT” in the heading of Part 1, the words “OR FOR APPROVED IN‑PATIENT PALLIATIVE CARE”;

(b)

by deleting the words “Not applicable” in the fourth column of the item relating to “Approved community hospital (subsidised)” in Part 1 and substituting the words “Not applicable (with admission date before 1 April 2020) and 0.5 (with admission date on or after 1 April 2020)”; and

(c)

by inserting, immediately after Part 2, the following Part:

“Part 3

PRO-RATION FACTORS FOR
APPROVED in‑patient palliative care

(With admission date on or after 1 April 2020)

Institution or
subsidy status

Pro-ration factor for:

Singapore citizen

Singapore permanent resident

Person who is not citizen or permanent resident of Singapore

Any ward in a nursing home or hospice that is an approved in‑patient palliative care institution

0.5

Subsidised ward in an approved community hospital that is an approved in‑patient palliative care institution

0.5

Non-subsidised ward in an approved community hospital that is an approved in‑patient palliative care institution

0.5

”.

Amendment of Sixth Schedule

6. The Sixth Schedule to the principal Regulations is amended —

(a)

by inserting, immediately after the words “an approved community hospital” in item 1(a), the words “or approved in‑patient palliative care institution”;

(b)

by inserting, immediately after the word “hospital” in item 1(b), the words “(other than in respect of any approved in‑patient palliative care provided by the approved community hospital as an approved in‑patient palliative care institution)”; and

(c)

by inserting, immediately after item 13, the following items:

“14.	General palliative care received as an in‑patient of an approved in‑patient palliative care institution, with admission date on or after 1 April 2020

$250 per day

15.	Specialised palliative care, or a combination of specialised and general palliative care, received as an in‑patient of an approved in‑patient palliative care institution, with admission date on or after 1 April 2020

$350 per day”.

Amendment of Seventh Schedule

7. The Seventh Schedule to the principal Regulations is amended —

(a)

by inserting, immediately after the words “day treatment patient” in the sub‑heading of Part 1, the words “or for approved in‑patient palliative care”;

(b)

by deleting the words “or approved community hospital” in items 1 and 2 of Part 1 and substituting in each case the words “or (for admission before 1 April 2020) approved community hospital”;

(c)

by inserting, immediately after item 3 of Part 1, the following items:

“4.	Where the ward of discharge in respect of the approved medical treatment or services received, as an in‑patient of an approved community hospital admitted on or after 1 April 2020, is a subsidised ward in the approved community hospital —

(a)	in the case where the insured person is below 81 years of age at the person’s next birthday falling after the first day of the insurance period in respect of which the claim is made

$1,500

(b)	in the case where the insured person is 81 years of age or older at the person’s next birthday falling after the first day of the insurance period in respect of which the claim is made

$2,000

5.	Where the ward of discharge in respect of the approved medical treatment or services received, as an in‑patient of an approved community hospital admitted on or after 1 April 2020, is a non‑subsidised ward in the approved community hospital —

(a)	in the case where the insured person is below 81 years of age at the person’s next birthday falling after the first day of the insurance period in respect of which the claim is made

$2,000

(b)	in the case where the insured person is 81 years of age or older at the person’s next birthday falling after the first day of the insurance period in respect of which the claim is made

$3,000”; and

(d)

by inserting, immediately after Part 2, the following Part:

“Part 3

insured’s contribution

(For approved in‑patient palliative care,
with admission date on or after 1 April 2020)

Amount (in any insurance period)

1.	Where the ward of discharge, in respect of the approved in‑patient palliative care, is a ward in a nursing home or hospice that is an approved in‑patient palliative institution —

(a)	in the case where the insured person is below 81 years of age at the person’s next birthday falling after the first day of the insurance period in respect of which the claim is made

$1,500

(b)	in the case where the insured person is 81 years of age or older at the person’s next birthday falling after the first day of the insurance period in respect of which the claim is made

$2,000

2.	Where the ward of discharge, in respect of the approved in‑patient palliative care, is a subsidised ward in an approved community hospital that is an approved in‑patient palliative care institution —

(a)	in the case where the insured person is below 81 years of age at the person’s next birthday falling after the first day of the insurance period in respect of which the claim is made

$1,500

(b)	in the case where the insured person is 81 years of age or older at the person’s next birthday falling after the first day of the insurance period in respect of which the claim is made

$2,000

3.	Where the ward of discharge, in respect of the approved in‑patient palliative care, is a non‑subsidised ward in an approved community hospital that is an approved in‑patient palliative care institution —

(a)	in the case where the insured person is below 81 years of age at the person’s next birthday falling after the first day of the insurance period in respect of which the claim is made

$2,000

(b)	in the case where the insured person is 81 years of age or older at the person’s next birthday falling after the first day of the insurance period in respect of which the claim is made

$3,000

”.

Transitional provision

8. Despite these Regulations, the principal Regulations (as amended by these Regulations) apply in relation to an insured person who —

(a)	was, before 1 April 2020, admitted as an in-patient of a hospice or nursing home to receive palliative care; and
(b)	on 1 April 2020, continues to be an in‑patient of the hospice or nursing home which is approved by the Minister as an approved in‑patient palliative care institution on that date, and receives any approved in‑patient palliative care at such institution on or after that date.

[G.N. Nos. S 300/2018; S 465/2018; S 731/2018; S 190/2019; S 286/2019; S 866/2019; S 192/2020]

Made on 31 March 2020.

CHAN YENG KIT

Permanent Secretary,
Ministry of Health,
Singapore.

[MH 97:27/12; AG/LEGIS/SL/176A/2015/2 Vol. 11]

(To be presented to Parliament under section 34(4) of the MediShield Life Scheme Act 2015).

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