MediShield Life is a national healthcare insurance scheme that replaced MediShield on 1 November 2015. The scheme provides lifelong protection for all Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents, including the very old and those who have pre-existing health conditions.
As a basic health insurance plan administered by the Central Provident Fund (CPF) Board, MSHL helps to pay for large hospital bills and selected costly outpatient treatments, such as kidney dialysis and chemotherapy for cancer.
For more details on MediShield Life Scheme and other types of Government support, please visit the Ministry of Health website or call 1800-222-3399 or (+65) 6222 3399.
Payment of MediShield Life Premium
The Government provides strong support through a range of premium subsidies to help Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents pay for their MediShield Life premiums.
Government Support and Subsidies
The Government offers various channels of help for the payment of MediShield Life premiums, such as Premium Subsidies for the lower to middle income groups, Pioneer Generation Subsidies for Pioneers, Mederka Generation Subsidies for Mederka Generation seniors, MediSave top-ups for Singapore Citizens etc.
If you are still unable to afford your premium even after the above support measures, you may wish to seek an immediate family member’s help to use his or her MediSave savings to pay for your premiums in full.
Alternatively, we encourage you to apply for Additional Premium Support (APS). APS is designed to help those who are unable to afford their MediShield Life premiums even after Government subsidies, and have limited family support. You can request a copy of the APS application form or find out more information on APS by calling 1800-222-3399 (or +65 6222 3399) from Mondays to Fridays, 8.30am to 5.30pm. MOH will assess each application to ensure that assistance is provided to those who are in need of financial support. They will keep in touch with you on the application status. You will not lose MediShield Life coverage if you are unable to pay for the premiums.
Penalties and Enforcement Actions for Those Who Choose Not to Pay
However, for those who can but choose not to pay their MediShield Life premiums, late payment penalties and interest will be imposed, and enforcement actions taken to recover the outstanding premiums. It is necessary to have firm enforcement actions to deter defaults and uphold the spirit of collective responsibility behind the MediShield Life Scheme. This will ensure that the MediShield Life Fund remains sustainable and can meet its commitment to all Singaporeans and Permanent Residents. It also ensures that the debts of wilful defaulters are not unfairly shouldered by those who have paid their share responsibly. Outstanding premiums that are not recovered will translate to bad debts for the MediShield Life Fund and consequently, higher premiums for all members.
Late Payment of MediShield Life Premiums
The Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) and the CPF Board have been appointed by Ministry of Health as recovery bodies responsible for the recovery of outstanding premiums.
- Late Payment Penalties and Interest
If the premium payment is not paid or paid late, a 5% late payment penalty will be imposed on premiums that remain outstanding after the payment due date in the Demand Note sent by IRAS.
Additional penalties of 12% will be imposed if the premiums and any interest and late payment penalties imposed remain outstanding one year after the imposition of the 5% late payment penalty.
Annual compounding interest of 4% will also be applied on the outstanding premiums and/or interest of those who persistently delay the payment of premiums to make up for the interest loss to the MediShield Life Fund. For calculation of late payment penalty and interest, please refer to the FAQs. - Premium Recovery Measures
If the premiums continue to remain outstanding, despite repeated reminders and the imposition of late payment penalties, other actions to recover the outstanding premiums may include:- Appointing agents like your bank, tenant and/or employer to recover the outstanding premiums
- Offsetting outstanding premium against one-off Government surplus-sharing transfers (e.g. Growth Dividends)
- Issuing a Travel Restriction Order (TRO) to disallow your travel out of Singapore; and/or
- Taking legal action
When your bank is appointed as agent, you will experience inconvenience in using your bank accounts (e.g. being unable to access your bank accounts) until you have fully paid your premiums. Requests made for the release of your banks from the agent appointment after 12pm on weekdays will only be processed on the next working day, while requests cannot be processed on Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays.