13 May 2013
Question No. 515
Name of Person: Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song
Question
To ask the Minister for Health what is the healthcare spending in each of the last 10 years for the funding sources of (i) Government subsidies (ii) Medisave (iii) MediShield (iv) ElderShield (v) Medifund (vi) private and employer insurance (vii) other employer benefits (viii) out-of-pocket cash and (ix) other funding.
Answer
1 National health expenditure (NHE) covers not just basic healthcare services such as inpatient and outpatient hospital care, visits to primary care doctors and long-term nursing care; but also includes consumption of health products (e.g. pharmaceutical drugs, over-the-counter health supplements, Chinese herbs, consumables such as dressings and appliances such as mobility aids); as well as other healthcare services (e.g. traditional and complementary medicine and therapy). It also includes spending by not just residents, but also foreigners.
2 Table 1 shows Singapore’s NHE in each of the last 10 years, and the main components – (i) Government Health Expenditure (GHE) which includes Medifund assistance, (ii) Medisave withdrawals and (iii) MediShield claims.
Table 1: National Health Expenditure, with breakdown for government share and 3Ms (Medisave, MediShield, Medifund)
Year |
NHE ($m) |
GHE ($m) |
GHE: Medifund assistance only ($m) |
Medisave withdrawals ($m) |
MediShield claims ($m) |
2002 |
5,916 |
1,558 |
26 |
361 |
77 |
2003 |
6,479 |
2,070 |
34 |
328 |
77 |
2004 |
6,911 |
1,778 |
32 |
367 |
84 |
2005 |
7,437 |
1,843 |
39 |
398 |
88 |
2006 |
8,000 |
2,010 |
40 |
445 |
113 |
2007 |
9,055 |
2,283 |
50 |
517 |
137 |
2008 |
10,100 |
2,814 |
59 |
558 |
161 |
2009 |
11,538 |
3,734 |
64 |
601 |
215 |
2010 |
12,365 |
3,846 |
79 |
678 |
249 |
2011 |
13,141 |
4,079 |
91 |
722 |
282 |
Note: GHE follows the Government fiscal year, while Medisave and MediShield are reported on a calendar year basis. Medifund is a component of GHE.
3 From 2002 to 2011, national healthcare spending increased by an average of 9% per annum, while government healthcare spending grew faster by more than 11% per annum.
4 In 2011, ElderShield payouts amounted to $10 million and this is expected to increase over time as the population ages. In addition, Integrated Shield Plans paid out about $0.2 billion. The remainder includes other third-party payers such as private medical insurance, employers’ benefits for employees, civil service medical benefits, charitable donations, as well as out-of-pocket payments including spending by foreign medical tourists.
