Singapore Budget 2019: Singapore expects to pay out more than S$200m a year in Community Health Assist Scheme subsidies

SINGAPORE expects to pay out more than S$200 million a year in Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) subsidies, Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat said in Parliament on Monday.

CHAS was introduced in 2012 to help lower to middle income families by making primary health care and basic dental care at clinics near homes more affordable. Over 97 per cent of existing CHAS and Pioneer Generation cardholders have access to more than one CHAS clinic within 10 minutes from their homes.

The government intends to extend CHAS to cover all Singaporeans from chronic conditions, regardless of income. It will also extend subsidies for common illnesses to lower to middle income Singaporeans who are CHAS Orange cardholders currently receiving CHAS subsidies for chronic conditions only. Subsidies will be extended for complex chronic conditions.

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