3,000 S'poreans living abroad apply to suspend Medishield payments, Latest Singapore News - The New Paper
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3,000 S'poreans living abroad apply to suspend Medishield payments

This article is more than 12 months old

About 3,000 Singaporeans living abroad have applied to suspend payments for Medi­Shield Life premiums as of the end of last month, according to Ministry of Health (MOH) statistics.

About 70 per cent of these applications were approved.

Another 26 per cent were rejected because they did not fulfil the criteria for application and the final 4 per cent are still being reviewed, the ministry told The Straits Times yesterday.

MOH said there are 213,400 Singaporeans living abroad at the end of last month.

In October last year, MOH announced that it would allow Singaporeans living abroad to suspend their payments of Medi­Shield Life premiums. MediShield Life replaced Medi­Shield from November 2015.

Applicants who wish to suspend their MediShield Life premiums need to have a valid permanent resident permit in the country they are living in.

They also are required to have lived abroad for at least five years prior to their application, with no more than 140 days spent in Singapore during this period. They should be able to afford healthcare in their country of residence and declare that they do not need to rely on MediShield Life in Singapore. - THE STRAITS TIMES

MINISTRY OF HEALTH (MOH)insuranceMEDISAVE