Senior citizen unable to use MediSave to pay for colonoscopy bill due to CPF withdrawal limit

Workers’ Party (WP) member Kenneth Foo Seck Guan has reiterated his party’s call for the authorities to widen the use of MediSave for elderly Singaporeans, after sharing how a senior citizen was unable to use the mandatory savings scheme to foot his medical bill due to a withdrawal limit.

Mr Foo, who contested East Coast GRC in the 2020 general election, met the senior during his rounds at Bedok North 216 Hawker and Market on Sunday (6 Dec). The elderly man told Mr Foo that he went for a regular check up at the hospital recently and underwent a colonoscopy.

Although the senior citizen had enough in his MediSave account to pay for the entire bill, he could only use MediSave to pay for part of the bill and had to fork out cash for the balance due to the Central Provident Fund (CPF) withdrawal limit that is in place for the procedure he underwent.

The senior citizen told Mr Foo that he hoped that the government will review the cap for seniors as preventive screening will help to lower incidence of diseases and lower the healthcare cost in the long term.

Pointing out that this call was a part of the WP’s 2020 election manifesto, Mr Foo said, “The Workers’ Party Manifesto did call for the government to review and widen to use of CPF medisave for Singaporeans 60 and above.”

He added: “We will continue to pursue policies review to benefit Singaporeans in the long-term.”

Mr Foo is not the only WP politician who highlighted issues with CPF policies, this week. Sengkang GRC MP Jamus Lim drew attention to several suggestions the WP has put forth with regards to CPF usage in its manifesto after meeting with some of its residents, on Friday (4 Dec).

Jamus Lim reiterates call to lower CPF payout eligibility age to 60