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Medifund is an endowment fund set up by the Government to help needy Singaporeans. Medifund is a safety net for patients who face financial difficulties with their remaining bills after receiving Government subsidies and drawing on other means of payments including MediShield Life, private Integrated Shield Plans (IPs), Medisave and cash. Set up in April 1993 with an initial capital of $200 million, the Government will inject capital sum into the fund from time to time, e.g. when budget surpluses are available. The interest income generated from the capital sum is used to provide financial assistance for healthcare bills.

How can a person get help from Medifund?
-Patients and/or their families can approach the Medical Social Workers at the Medifund-approved institutions if they require assistance with their healthcare bills.

How is Medifund used?
-The interest income from the capital sum of Medifund is allocated to approved hospitals and healthcare institutions in the form of Medifund, Medifund Silver, and Medifund Junior grants. These grants are then used to help needy Singaporeans who face financial difficulties with their healthcare bills.

Who can apply for Medifund assistance?
-A patient who fulfils all of the following requirements may apply for Medifund assistance:
Is a Singapore citizen;
Is a subsidised patient;
Has received treatment from a Medifund-approved institution
Patient and family have financial difficulties paying for his healthcare bills despite receiving Government subsidies and drawing on other means of payments including MediShield Life/Integrated Plans, Medisave and cash.

What is Medifund Silver and Junior?

-Medifund Silver and Junior was introduced in 2007 and 2013 respectively to provide more targeted assistance to two vulnerable groups, i.e. the elderly and children.

-Medifund Silver targets at needy elderly as they generally have higher medical bills and are financially more dependent on their family members upon retirement. Medifund Junior, on the other hand, targets at needy children.

Sources from:
https://www.moh.gov.sg/content/moh_web/home/costs_and_financing/schemes_subsidies/Medifund.html

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Medishield was replaced by MediShield Life from 1st Nov'15 and will offer better protection and higher payouts, so that patient pay less Medisave/cash for large hospital bills. It is also a protection for all Singaporean and Permanent Residents which includes those who are very old and those who have pre-existing conditions.
MediShield Life is a basic health insurance plan, administered by the Central Provident Fund (CPF) Board, which helps to pay for large hospital bills and selected costly outpatient treatments, such as dialysis and chemotherapy for cancer.
Under MediShield Life,  coverage benefits have been enhanced with higher claim limits and lower co-insurance rates. This ensures that MediShield Life pays more and patients pay less.
Example of using MediShield Life:
When a patient has a large hospital bill, MediShield would protect you from large hospital bills and also day surgery as well as certain expenses with outpatient treatment such as kidney dialysis, chemotheraphy
and radiotheraphy for cancer. As such, MediSheild helps to cover a certain amount so that the patient would have to pay less.

source from : http://www.moh.gov.sg

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• Medisave is a national medical savings scheme which helps individuals to put aside part of their income into their Medisave Accounts to meet their future personal or immediate family's hospitalization, day surgery and certain outpatient expenses.           ☞ However, there is a scheme called Flexi-Medisave that helps the elderly to get more Medisave help for outpatient services. This scheme have been effective over the past 2 years as elderly can withdraw lesser cash for the expenses as they receive an extra $200 each year from their medisave.
Example of what Flexi-Medisave covers:
- An elderly man visits a public hospital's orthopaedic clinic following a leg fracture surgery and is required to go for follow-up consultations and physiotherapy sessions. He can use up to $200 from his Medisave to reduce his cash payment for such costs after subsidy.
If his wife visits the polyclinic every few months for treatment of her thyroid disorder, she can use Flexi-Medisave to cover her medical bills. If she does not have enough Medisave, he is able to use up to $200 from his own account to pay for her treatment. This is on top of the $200 he has already used for his own treatment.

source from: ifonlysingaporeans.blogspot.sg/2015/01/flexi-medisave-elderly-to-get-more.html?m=1

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Government helps to pay for healthcare, so that elderly can afford good, basic healthcare when they need it.

Silver Support Scheme:

-The Silver Support Scheme provides additional support for elderly Singaporeans who had low incomes through life and who now have little or no family support.

-The government will give payouts of $300 – $750 (depending on type of HDB flat they live in) every three months for the bottom 20% of seniors who had low incomes through life and little or no family support.
Requirements to be eligible for the scheme:

Total CPF contributions of not more than $70,000 by age 55. Self-employed persons should also have an average annual net trade income of not more than $22,800 when you were between the age of 45 and 54.

Live in an HDB flat that is 5-room or smaller.

Not own, and not have a spouse who owns, a 5-room or larger HDB flat or private property or multiple properties.

Live in a household with a monthly income per person of not more than $1,100.

Pioneer Generation Package(PGP):
-Singaporeans born on or before 31 December 1949, and obtained citizenship on or before 31 December 1986.
Benefits:
- Special subsidies for MediShield Life premiums, annual Medisave top-ups (up to $800 a year for life) and an additional 50% off subsidised services and medication at polyclinics and Specialist Outpatient Clinics (SOC) in public hospitals.
Senior Citizen Concession Card:

-Senior citizens can enjoy lower rates on buses and trains.This gives senior citizen cardholders one more option when purchasing their travel pass, on top of the Hybrid Concession Pass. https://www.gov.sg/news/content/7-ways-the-government-is-helping-seniors

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• Present your findings on healthcare policies for the elderly. How effective are these policies? (to include interview questions, supporting data, photos, articles etc)