HEALTHCARE PROTECTIONS AND FLEXIBLE ARRANGEMENTS
Ms Yeo further suggested extending to maids an outpatient primary care scheme, similar to that of non-domestic migrant workers, for more affordable primary healthcare.
Migrant domestic workers are not covered by a primary care plan and their mandatory insurance does not include outpatient care, which means they and their employers face high out-of-pocket costs for doctor visits, said the labour MP.
She said this could discourage early care-seeking and worsen health outcomes.
“Similarly, the current basic insurance of S$60,000 annual limit for hospitalisation of a (migrant domestic worker) might not cover more severe cases, leaving our employers responsible for the excess and payment,” she said.
She asked MOM to consider getting employment agencies to be clearer about medical and hospitalisation responsibilities in their advisories to employers, and to mandate timely reviews of insurance coverage and co-payment levels as healthcare costs increase.
Mr Huang replied that MOM regularly reviews medical insurance policies for maids, and that when it raised the minimum annual claim limit to S$60,000 in 2023, this was significantly higher than the previous minimum of S$15,000.
He said the current mandatory coverage accounts for 99 per cent of inpatient and day surgery bills incurred by maids in public healthcare institutions.
Employers who prefer greater coverage or cost predictability can choose to purchase more comprehensive insurance plans with outpatient care, said the senior parliamentary secretary.
Ms Yeo also called on MOM to develop regulated part-time maid and home-care pathways, as a live-in maid might not work for every household.
“Building on schemes like the Household Services Scheme, could we pilot care-focused extensions – part-time carers who are properly trained and fairly contracted, or pooling arrangements where several families can share a trained worker on a regulated basis?” she asked.
“Such models could better serve working parents, those with intermittent caregiving needs, and families who cannot yet afford or require full-time live-in help.”
The Household Services Scheme allows companies to hire more migrant workers for part-time domestic services like home cleaning, grocery shopping, car-washing and pet-sitting.
Selected companies can also hire more migrant workers to provide basic eldercare services.
Mr Huang said that since this scheme was formalised in 2021, the number of companies has increased from about 80 to 240 currently.
He said the government has been working with the caregiving industry to offer a wider range of full-time and part-time eldercare and domestic services.
He noted alternatives to live-in help that are in place, such as Shared Stay-in Senior Caregiving, where trained caregivers provide support to a group of seniors living in a common residence.
