Revised migrant worker healthcare plan to lower costs for employers, bring clinics closer by April 2027

Revised migrant worker healthcare plan to lower costs for employers, bring clinics closer by April 2027 The clinics will be within 2km from where most migrant workers live, compared with 3km now. SINGAPORE: Most employers of migrant workers will pay lower rates for them to get healthcare when a mandatory primary care plan is revised from Apr 1, 2027. Since 2022, employers have been required to buy a primary care plan for work permit and S Pass holders who live in dormitories or work in the construction, marine shipyard and process sectors. Employers currently pay S$108 (US$84) to S$138 per worker per year. From next April, the revised rates will range from S$97 to S$113, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said on Thursday (Aug 6). This annual payment, also called a capitation rate, is paid to an anchor operator to provide the worker with services, like health screenings and medical consultations and treatment, for the year. MOM said the upcoming expiry of the current contracts with primary care plan operators was an "opportune moment to raise the bar". Under the revised plan, about 94 per cent of employers will pay lower rates, ranging from S$2 to S$41 less per worker per year. About 3 per cent, or slightly under 500 employers, will pay higher rates of about S$5 more per worker per year. Rates for the remaining 3 per cent of employers are expected to remain the same. The revised plan will also bring clinics closer to migrant workers – within 2km from where most of them live, compared with 3km now, said MOM. Minister of State for Manpower Dinesh Vasu Dash said the enhanced plan reflects MOM's commitment to ensuring that migrant workers can access "affordable, accessible and assured" primary healthcare. At the same time, it keeps costs manageable and sustainable for employers, he said. HIGHER TELECONSULT CO-PAYMENT Lower rates in the revised plan are possible because of a new co-payment rate for telemedicine, and five-year contracts that amortise costs over a longer period, said the ministry. The co-payment for telemedicine consultations will rise from the current S$2 to S$5 next April to account for higher costs. Co-payments for physical clinic consultations will remain at S$5. The revised plan also lowers costs by better aligning service hours to migrant workers' needs and actual usage patterns, said the ministry. For example, teleconsultation hours will be cut to 17 hours instead of 24 hours a day. This covers 99 per cent of all teleconsultation needs, said MOM. Clinic hours on Sundays will also be reduced as it has been observed that migrant workers rarely require medical consultations on Sunday evenings. The primary care plan for migrant workers was designed during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time, heavy demands were placed on operators to provide round-the-clock medical services, said MOM. The telemedicine co-payment was also set lower then to encourage adoption, but the option is now well-established and the new S$5 rate remains affordable, it said. CHANGE IN HEALTHCARE ZONES The revised plan will consolidate the geographical zones for primary healthcare services from the current six zones to four zones, served by four anchor operators. The north zone, which is the largest, will be run by incumbent SATA CommHealth. Its two zonal medical centres and four partner clinics will serve about 120,000 workers. The annual rate per worker will be S$113. The west zone will be managed by existing operator Fullerton Health, with an annual rate of S$106 per worker. It will have one zonal medical centre and three partner clinics for around 100,000 workers. The west's zonal medical centre will be a new facility built specifically to serve migrant workers, said Fullerton Health managing director for Singapore Derrick Chan. In the south zone, which covers around 80,000 workers, current operator St Andrew's Mission Hospital will manage one zonal medical centre and two partner clinics. The annual rate will be S$108. New operator Healthway Medical Group will take over the east region, serving about 90,000 workers through one zonal medical centre and eight partner clinics. It will charge an annual rate of S$97 per worker, the lowest capitation rate of the four operators. MOM said the larger zones allow the operators to achieve greater economies of scale, which is another key reason why lower rates are possible. Better appointment booking systems are among the operational efficiencies, according to SATA CommHealth CEO Dr Kelvin Phua. This allows doctors to spread out the load of consultations over a longer period of time, optimising them while maintaining low waiting times for migrant workers, he said. Under the revised plan, an enhanced appointment booking system will let workers book, modify or cancel appointments at their assigned clinics in advance. A new centralised primary care plan portal will also be rolled out from April 2027 to make the enrolment of workers more efficient for employers, added MOM. The ministry said it selected SATA CommHealth, Fullerton Health and Healthway Medical Group through an open competitive tender. St Andrew's Mission Hospital, a non-governmental organisation, is continuing its philanthropy-led partnership with MOM to manage the south zone.