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A new AI risk assessment tool is expected to be rolled out under Healthier SG from early 2027, to help doctors work closer with patients at high risk of chronic diseases on possible lifestyle changes.
Singapore is now considered a "super-aged society", according to Minister for Health (MOH) Ong Ye Kung. Speaking at the Committee of Supply Debate 2026 last week, he referenced an April 2023 speech where he had said Singapore would become "a super-aged society in 2026 – this year", when 21% or more of the population would be aged 65 and above.
Against this backdrop, the Ministry of Health has announced various initiatives aimed at strengthening population health whilst ensuring healthcare in Singapore remains robust and efficient. In specific, he shared about three measures aimed at keeping healthcare affordable - Enhancements to the MediSave500/700 Scheme, including hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism under the Chronic Disease Management Programme (CDMP), and subsidising genetic testing for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. Read on for more details:
Enhancements to the MediSave500/700 Scheme
Raising MediSave withdrawal limits for chronic and preventive care
Under the MediSave500/700 scheme, Singaporeans can use MediSave to pay for their outpatient treatment of chronic conditions under the Chronic Disease Management Programme (CDMP) as well as selected vaccinations and preventive tests at polyclinics, MediSave-accredited General Practitioner (GP) clinics and Specialist Outpatient Clinics.
Withdrawals under the scheme are tiered, with higher annual withdrawals of S$700 allowed for those with complex chronic conditions that require more intensive management, and S$500 for other patients.
To help patients better meet their chronic care and preventive care needs, MOH will enhance the withdrawal limits under the MediSave Chronic and Preventive Care scheme from 1 January 2027:
- The basic annual limit will be increased from S$500 to S$700
- The annual limit for patients with complex chronic conditions will be increased from S$700 to S$1,000
These enhanced limits will benefit approximately 915,000 patients who currently utilise the scheme annually to better manage their out-of-pocket costs for regular consultations and medications as well as selected vaccinations and preventive tests.
Chronic Disease Management Programme (CDMP) extended to hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism
To provide more comprehensive support for patients with thyroid disorders, MOH will expand the CDMP to include hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism from January 2027.
Currently, the CDMP covers major chronic conditions including diabetes mellitus, hypertension, lipid disorders, stroke, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Patients diagnosed with these thyroid conditions will be able to benefit from the enhanced MediSave Chronic and Preventive limit as well as receive CHAS subsidies for their ongoing treatment and management. This is expected to benefit more than 53,000 patients with thyroid disorders.
This is expected to benefit more than 53,000 patients with thyroid disorders. MOH has also stated that it is currently studying other chronic conditions, such as eczema, for inclusion in the CDMP, and will provide an update when ready.
Enhancing preventive care through genetic testing for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer
From December 2026, MOH will extend subsidised genetic testing to Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer (HBOC). This builds on the Health Ministry's earlier extension of financing to Familial Hypercholesterolaemia in June 2025.
Genetic testing, which reveals an individual’s pre-disposition to developing certain diseases and informs downstream management, is a key prong of Singapore’s precision medicine and preventive care strategy.
Minister Ong shared further details, saying that individuals will undergo genetic counselling before and after they test for HBOC. Should they test positive, tests will be offered to immediate family members, also known as "cascade testing."
About 2,000 individuals are expected to be eligible for the test annually.
"We will make the test affordable," Minister Ong emphasised.
"For those found to have the mutation, they will be offered suitable preventive interventions. Typically, this means more frequent breast MRIs or mammograms, or oral medication."
On top of the extension of MediShield Life and Medisave to cover preventive surgeries for HBOC, Minister Ong added that breast reconstruction is also covered, to "better support women to harness genomics to better take care of their health."
Subsidies and MediSave for genetic testing and downstream interventions
"Even after accounting for inflation, the average Singaporean living up to their mid-eighties, spends almost four times as much on hospital expenses in the last ten years of their life, compared to the previous ten years," said Minister Ong.
That is why the existing design of MediSave withdrawals is such that it has higher limits for more complex treatments and longer hospital stays, so that patients can draw on it as and use it when needed.
"However, it is human nature to worry about present medical expenses, rather than lumpy, potential, unexpected or future hospital bills."
Hence, the Flexi-MediSave and MediSave500/700 schemes seek to provide flexibility for chronic disease management, "for scans, for dentist visits et cetera, without overly diluting MediSave’s original objective of catering for these big lumpy hospital bills in old age or during emergencies."
"But the situation has changed since MediSave was implemented in 1984. At that time, people in Singapore lived to about 73 on average. Today, we live to 85 and beyond."
The suite of interventions for HBOC – from the genetic test to downstream follow-up and interventions – has been assessed by the Agency for Care Effectiveness to be clinically and cost-effective.
Hence, from December 2026, MOH will extend mainstream financing to the HBOC genetic test and relevant downstream interventions. Here's what eligible patients can look forward to:
- Eligible Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents can enjoy means-tested subsidies of up to 70% for these costs. Seniors from the Pioneer Generation and Merdeka Generation are eligible for additional subsidies.
- The enhanced MediSave Chronic and Preventive Care scheme limits can be used to further offset the cost of the genetic test after subsidies.
- Patients who are 60 years old and above may also use Flexi-MediSave to further defray out-of-pocket costs fully.
For relevant downstream interventions, such as certain drug treatments and intensified surveillance, these will continue to be supported with subsidies and MediSave coverage.
More details about the financing support for the necessary genetic tests and relevant downstream interventions will be shared later this year.
MediShield Life coverage of risk-reducing surgeries
Today, the Ministry shared, risk-reducing surgeries are subsidised, but not covered by MediShield Life nor MediSave.
"As the national health insurance scheme, MediShield Life coverage is focused on medically necessary treatments for illness or injury, to keep premiums affordable for policyholders. As such, the scheme does not cover preventive interventions."
However, with advances in medical science, there are greater overlaps between preventive and therapeutic care. Hence, in consultation with the MediShield Life Council, MOH has decided to extend MediShield Life to cover preventive surgeries in selected instances, where the surgeries are:
- Medically indicated
- High-cost and of low incidence, and therefore suitable for risk-pooling
- Cost-neutral or cost-saving to the scheme and do not impact affordability of premiums
Based on these principles, MediShield Life coverage will be extended for risk-reducing surgeries associated with the management of HBOC, for patients who test positive for HBOC and opt for the following surgeries:
- Risk-reducing mastectomy (RRM) which removes the breasts, and
- Risk-reducing bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (RRBSO) which removes both the fallopian tubes and ovaries.
MediSave use will also be extended to pay for the remaining copayment.
MOH aims to implement MediShield Life coverage for RRM by Q3 2026, with RRBSO coverage targeted for Q4 2026. Details on the MediShield Life coverage and MediSave use will be shared nearer to their introduction.
"We will continue to carefully assess whether to extend MediShield Life for other preventive surgeries on a case-by-case basis, in consultation with the MediShield Life Council, to ensure that expansions are scoped carefully to keep premiums for Singaporeans affordable," the Ministry highlighted.
AI-powered preventive care to identify chronic disease risks
The third initiative introduced is an AI model developed based on anonymised patient data to assess whether an individual’s current health status indicates a high risk — defined as a 75% chance or higher — of developing chronic diseases such as diabetes and high cholesterol within the next three years.
These conditions were prioritised as they are major drivers of strokes and heart attacks. In Singapore, Minister Ong highlighted, around 60 people suffer either a heart attack or stroke every day. Many of these cases can be prevented through early intervention, including lifestyle changes and medication.
In tackling this issue, the AI risk assessment tool is expected to be rolled out to doctors for all Healthier SG enrollees from early 2027. If a patient is flagged as high risk, doctors may recommend more intensive lifestyle adjustments and more frequent monitoring — for example, annual check-ups instead of the current three-year interval.
These additional screenings will continue to be subsidised under Healthier SG.
Lead image / MOH YouTube
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