SingaporeMotherhood | Pregnancy

January 2021

MediSave for Pregnancy and TTC – Financial Aid for Making Babies (2021 Update)

Whether you’re Trying To Conceive (TTC) or have just discovered that Baby is on the way, it can be one of the most exciting ­— yet stressful — times of your life. You’ll be glad to know that no matter what’s in store, you don’t have to bear all the costs alone. Below, we outline funding schemes couples can tap on, such as claiming MediSave for pregnancy and fertility treatments.

Assisted Conception Procedures

Getting pregnant isn’t always as simple as jumping into the sack together, especially if you’re no longer a spring chicken. If you’re having difficulty conceiving, your gynae may suggest exploring various Assisted Conception Procedures (ACP).

(See also: Having her second child through IVF at age 48 was “divine intervention”, says Lily Kew of Kew Organics)

Test-tube with embryos

Getting Co-Funding

However, the costs of ACPs can be daunting. Thankfully, if you fulfil certain criteria, the government can help co-fund up to 75% of the costs.

The co-funding scheme covers:

  • Up to three fresh and three frozen Assisted Reproduction Technology (ART) cycles. Treatments include in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) and its variations, as well as gamete intra-fallopian transfer (GIFT)
  • Up to three Intra-Uterine Insemination (IUI) cycles

Eligibility requirements:

  1. You or your spouse must be a Singapore citizen
  2. You are below 40 years of age at the start of each treatment cycle (except for the last two cycles of ART for couples who started attempting ART/IUI before 40 years)
  3. You undergo the procedures at public Assisted Reproduction centres (KKH, NUH, and SGH)

The following table lists the co-funding amounts and caps per treatment cycle:

ACP treatment typeSingaporean coupleSingaporean-PR coupleSingaporean-Foreigner couple
Fresh ART cycles75% up to $7,70055% up to $5,70035% up to $3,600
Frozen ART cycles75% up to $2,20055% up to $1,60035% up to $1,000
IUI cycles75% up to $1,00055% up to $70035% up to $500

To apply for ACP co-funding simply fill up a declaration form provided by the AR centre. Once the hospital verifies your eligibility, the co-funding will be incorporated into your bill.

MediSave Claims

And that’s not all. You can tap on yours or your spouse’s MediSave to help foot the remaining costs of a co-funded ACP cycle. MediSave can also be used to pay for cycles that are not co-funded. However, do note that there is a lifetime withdrawal limit of $15,000 per patient.

The following table lists the MediSave withdrawal limits per ACP cycle:

First cycleSecond cycleThird & subsequent cycles
Up to $6,000Up to $5,000Up to $4,000

(See also: Using Medisave for Maternity Packages in Malaysia Can Help You Save Money on Prenatal Costs)

MediSave Maternity Package

Not sure if you can claim MediSave for pregnancy? Wonder no more, because the answer is YES! You can take advantage of the MediSave Maternity Package (MMP). It is designed to help Singaporeans defray costs incurred during pregnancy and delivery.

At a glance, the MMP covers the following three components:

MediSave for pregnancy - MediSave Maternity Package
Source: madeforfamilies.gov.sg

Pre-delivery Expenses

The next nine months will be filled with doctors’ appointments, prenatal tests, ultrasound scans and so on. And yes, these are claimable, up to $900. Now you’re probably wondering how far that gets you?

(See also: I Dream of Gynae – How to Choose Dr Right when You’re Pregnant)

Well, pre-delivery costs can vary quite a bit, depending on the type of care you choose and whether that’s subsidised. Of course, no two pregnancies are the same, with more complicated conditions requiring more care and costs.

However, the good news is that basic subsidised pre-delivery care at KKH costs about $900, including consultations, tests, and scans. This means that it can be fully covered by the MMP.

Just make sure that you’ve saved all the bills for your pre-delivery medical expenses. Present them to the hospital where you’re delivering your baby. The hospital will submit these bills, together with the delivery expenses, for your MediSave claims.

MediSave for pregnancy - scan

Actual Delivery Expenses

The months, weeks and days have flown by and you’re ready to pop. Depending on your type of delivery procedure, the MMP lets you make MediSave for pregnancy claims from $750 to $2,150.

(See also: Hospital Maternity Packages in Singapore 2020)

Natural birth is generally the cheaper option, although this isn’t always up to you. Not all women can delivery naturally, or the baby’s condition might make this difficult. In such cases, your doctor may advise a Caesarean delivery instead.

You will be able to claim $750 for normal vaginal delivery, and up to $2,150 for a C-section. How much the bill eventually costs will depend largely on your choice of hospital and ward class as well.

baby feet parents hands

Your Hospital Stay

This component is pretty straightforward. Regardless of whether you choose a public or private hospital, the MMP lets you claim $450 for each day of your stay for delivery.

The following table outlines hospital bill estimates (for 50 per cent of patients) and corresponding MediSave claimables:

Expense typePublic hospital (Ward B2)Private hospital (Single bed)MediSave withdrawal limits for MMP
Pre-deliveryFrom $850From $2,000Up to $900
Normal vaginal deliveryFrom $1,404From $8,456($450 x 2 days) + $750 (delivery) = $1,650
Caesarean section deliveryFrom $2,536From $12,782($450 x 3 days) + $2,150 (delivery) = $3,500

By now, you probably have a better idea of which hospital and ward class you should choose. Some might elect to celebrate the miracle of birth in a private hospital suite complete with champagne reception and limo service. Others may prefer a subsidised government ward, keeping costs low so that they can put more into baby’s savings account later. Either way, you’ll be able to make the same MediSave for pregnancy claims under the MMP.

(See also: Income Tax Reliefs for Parents – Are You Maximising Your Tax Savings?)

The numbers are accurate at publishing time; please visit the MOH website for updates or visit www.madeforfamilies.gov.sg for more information.

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MediSave for Pregnancy and TTC – Financial Aid for Making Babies (2021 Update)