How To Use Medisave For Dental Operations
Medisave is a nationwide medical insurance program that allows Singaporeans and permanent residents to retain a portion of their income separate from medically-based savings account used to cover hospitalization, day surgery and some outpatient costs.
Under the Singapore Medisave Scheme, each employee can contribute 8 to 10.5 per cent of their monthly wage to their Medisave account, based on their age group. Where appropriate, savings may be withheld to pay for hospitalization and other qualifying expenses by themselves or immediate family members.
Procedures Eligible for claims made against Medisave
In addition, Medisave can also be used to pay for some dental facilities in dental clinics and medical establishments approved by the Ministry of Health and the Central Provident Fund (CPF) Board. As a general guide, dental procedures that require surgery on medical grounds can be charged for the use of Medisave.
Such surgical procedures will usually contain the following:
- Surgical replacement of wisdom tooth or broken tooth
- Gum grafting
- Jaw Operations
- Placing dental implants
- Bone grafting
Note that non-surgical or cosmetic dental operations, such as non-surgical root canal repair, crowning, dentures and braces, as well as clear teeth extractions that do not require surgery, are omitted from Medisave claims.
Usage of Medisave and Associated Payment Limits
The sum payable by Medisave for dental surgery shall be determined by the form of surgery appended to the Surgical Procedures Table (TOSP), an exhaustive list of procedures for which Medisave can be claimed. Each medical procedure in the TOSP shall be bound by a special code which, in turn, specifies the limit which may be asserted by Medisave for the procedure referred to.
E.g., the surgical insertion of a dental implant is what sets the Medisave cap at $950. If you need to insert two dental implants, you can use up to $1,900 ($950 x 2) to pay for your dental implants. Assuming the installation of two dental implants would cost you $3,000, you will have to pay a balance of $1,100, after deducting $1,900 from your Medisave account, subject to the final approval of the CPF Board.
For surgical wisdom tooth extraction conducted as day surgery, Medisave can be used to pay up to $300 a day for ward costs such as investigation, medical and medical attendance, as well as a set operating limit ranging from $250 (Table 1A) to $7,550 (Table 7C) depending on the type of surgery performed. If there is more than one operation, the cumulative amount that may be withheld from Medisave for the operation should not exceed $7,550 or the real amount accrued, whichever is lesser.
Making a Dental Surgery Claim Using Medisave
Before you use Medisave for dental procedures payment, you can first verify with an authorized dental clinic or medical facility if the Medisave claims treatment is approved.
Once you have determined that the treatment is approved for Medisave claims, you may remind the personnel you would like to use the Medisave during payment or discharge. In this case, the staff can get you to sign the Medical Claims Authorisation Form (MCAF) that authorizes the doctor or institution to use the Medisave balance to pay the bill.
At the point of application, the clinic can remind you of the balance of the bill to be withdrawn from the Medisave account, check your name against the specifics of the Medisave account, as well as any remaining amount of the bill to be paid in cash.
Suppose the applications have been accepted and processed. In that case, you will get a Medisave Claims Statement showing the identity of the patient you received, the amount withheld from the Medisave account, and the name of the doctor or institution where the claim was made.
