CHAS is a scheme that enables middle to lower income Singaporeans, aged 40 and above or disabled*, to receive subsidies for medical care for chronic conditions and/or common illnesses as well as dental services at participating private General Practitioners (GPs) and dental clinics near their homes. Singaporeans who qualify for CHAS will receive a Health Assist card.

*Disability is defined as being unable to do any of the following six activities of daily living (ADLs) without assistance: washing/bathing, toileting, transferring, feeding, dressing, and mobility.

The following persons are eligible for CHAS:

Singapore citizens aged 40 and above, or disabled (i.e. unable to do any of the following six activities of daily living (ADLs) without assistance: washing/bathing, toileting, transferring, feeding,  dressing, and/or mobility without assistance); and meet the following income criteria:

• Per capita household monthly income is  $1,500 or below for economically active households; or
• Annual Value (AV) of residence as reflected on NRICs is $13,000 or below for economically inactive households.

All family members (related by blood or marriage) living at the same address as the main applicant, as reflected on their NRICs, should include their details on the same application form as the main applicant. Their income would contribute towards the household’s per capita monthly income.

Members who are on Public Assistance (PA) scheme will also be eligible for CHAS subsidies.

CHAS covers the following:

• Common medical illnesses e.g. cold, cough, fever
• Ten chronic conditions under the Chronic Disease Management Programme (CDMP):

o    Asthma
o    Bipolar disorder
o    Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
o    Dementia
o    Diabetes
o    Hypertension
o    Lipid disorders e.g. high cholesterol
o    Major depression
o    Schizophrenia
o    Stroke

• Dental services e.g., dentures, root canal treatments and crowning.

There are 2 tiers of subsidy under CHAS, depending on the per capita household monthly income level of the cardholder.

 

CHAS Subsidy Tiers	Subsidy Received
	Common Illnesses	Chronic conditions under CDMP	Dental Services
Blue For those with per capita household monthly income of $900 and below; OR Households with no income will be assessed by the Annual Value of their residence, which should be $13,000* and below	v Up to $18.50 per visit	v Up to $80 per visit Subject to annual cap^: Simple Chronic (Tier 1) - Up to $320 per calendar year Complex Chronic (Tier 2) - Up to $480 per calendar year	v Up to $256.50 per procedure per year
Orange For those with per capita household monthly income above $900 but less than or equal to $1,500	Not Applicable	v Up to $50 per visit Subject to annual cap^: Simple Chronic (Tier 1) - Up to $200 per calendar year Complex Chronic (Tier 2) - Up to $300 per calendar year	v Up to $170.50 per procedure per year for selected dental procedures (dentures, crowns, root canal treatment only)

Explanatory Notes:
* AV is the estimated annual rent of your property if it were to be rented out.
^ Per year limit is dependent on the severity of patient’s chronic condition. Tier 1 patients have single disease, while Tier 2 patients have more than one chronic disease or disease(s) with complications

The subsidy tiers are in place to ensure that healthcare subsidies are better targeted at the lower income Singaporeans who need more assistance with their outpatient medical expenses.

The income cut-off is to allow us to better target limited healthcare subsidies at lower income Singaporeans who need the assistance most.

Application forms are available at any Restructured Hospitals, Polyclinics, Community Centres and Clubs (CCs) or Community Development Councils (CDC)s. Alternatively, the forms can also be downloaded from this website. You and your family members (who are living in the same address) only need to submit one application form with the following supporting documents:

• Clear copies of NRIC (front & back) for yourself and your family members living at the same address, and
• For family members below 15 years old, please submit a clear copy of Singapore birth certificate if NRIC is not available, and
• Foreign identification documents if your family members are neither Singapore Citizen nor Singapore Permanent Resident
If you have household members who are earning above $5,000 or are foreigners (i.e. neither Singapore Citizen nor Singapore Permanent Resident), please check that they declare their income on the CHAS application form.
 
You may send your completed application form and the supporting documents to P.O. Box 680, Bukit Merah Central Post Office, Singapore 911536 using the pre-paid business reply envelopes.
 
Disability Assessment for Disabled CHAS Applicants
If you have a disability, you will also need to undergo a disability assessment by a MOH-accredited disability assessor. The disability assessor will evaluate your ability to perform the activities of Daily Living without assistance (ADLs, such as washing/bathing; toileting; transferring; feeding; dressing; and mobility). You will have to bear the cost of disability assessment.

Any Singapore Medical Council-registered doctor can conduct the disability assessments. You are advised to check with the clinic prior to your visit, whether the doctor is willing and able to conduct the assessment. You may also wish to check on the fees charged. While the Functional Assessment Report can be endorsed by any Singapore Medical Council-registered doctor, a list of preferred medical assessors is available here for your convenience and reference.

Per capita household monthly income is derived by taking the total income of the household divided by the total number of family members in the household. E.g. $3,000 as total household income per month ÷ 4 family members = $750 as per capita household monthly income.

All family members (related by blood, marriage and/or legal adoption) living at the same address as the main applicant, as reflected on their NRICs, will be considered as part of the household.

The income of dependants below age 21 would not be considered in the derivation of per capita household monthly income, though they would be included in the tally of the number of members in the household.

For family members who are salaried employees, their income will be based on the average monthly income received over the last available 12-month period, including bonuses.

For family members who are self-employed, their income will be based on either:

a) The monthly income derived from the last available net trade income assessed by the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore within the last 2 assessment years; or
b) The income declared to the CPF Board or the income assumed under CPF laws within the last 2 years.

Should there be a change in income status, you may be required to submit supporting documents to reflect this change at the later date.

As foreigners do not need to make CPF contributions, their income information cannot be retrieved from CPF Board. Hence, they would need to declare their income, if any.

All family members (related by blood or marriage) living at the same address as the main applicant, as reflected on their NRICs, will be considered as part of the household.All family members (related by blood, marriage and/or legal adoption) living at the same address as the main applicant, as reflected on their NRICs, will be considered as part of the household.

MOH needs each family member’s consent, to retrieve their income data from CPF Board, in order to compute the per capita income of the household.

No, to protect each individual’s privacy, family members are not allowed to give consent on each other’s behalf.

No. We will not disclose any information on income to the main applicant or the members in his household. The consent is to enable MOH to retrieve the income data and assess if the household meets the income criteria for CHAS. Only the eventual result i.e. whether the family qualifies for CHAS, and which tier, will be communicated to the applicant and his family.

For family members who are mentally incapacitated and are unable to provide consent, we would need certification from any registered doctor about the person's status and inability to give signed consent.

This family member will be taken into consideration when we tally the total household members.

If any of your family members are not able to provide their consent for any other reason, please indicate in the application form the name of the family member and why he is unable to give consent. We will assess and liaise with you if further information is required.

Successful applicants will be sent a welcome pack which will include either a blue  or an orange Health Assist Card, depending on the subsidy tier the applicant is eligible for. To view a sample of the cards, please click here.

Information on the use of the card and the list of participating GP and dental clinics will also be included.

Your application will be processed within 10 working days from the date of receipt of the completed application form with all supporting documents.

To receive subsidised treatment, you must produce the Health Assist Card together with your NRIC during every visit at participating GP and dental clinics.

No. The Health Assist card is non-transferable and cannot be shared or used by your family members. The Health Assist card must be produced together with your NRIC at every visit to the CHAS GP or dentist.

The card is valid for 2 years. To renew your card, you will need to submit a new application form with necessary supporting documents.

You should contact the CHAS hotline 1800-275-2427 immediately for a replacement card.

Changes in income within the 2 year validity period will not change the subsidy tier that you are eligible for.

No, you will not need to apply again.  Existing members holding the Community Medical Benefits Card will be eligible for subsidies under the Blue subsidy tier until their card expires.

Your family members can submit a new application form with necessary supporting documents.

No, not all GPs and dental clinics are participating in the scheme.  All participating clinics will display a decal of the CHAS logo on their doors.

To view a sample of the decal, please click here.

You will be given a list of participating GP and dental clinics when you receive
your Health Assist Card.

The most updated list of participating clinics can also be found:-
• www.chas.sg
• www.moh.gov.sg (http://www.moh.gov.sg – under Healthcare Financing > Community Health Assist Scheme).

Patients are expected to co-pay for their treatment under CHAS. Participating private GPs and dentists will charge CHAS patients reasonable fees for the common medical treatments and basic dental services covered under the scheme.

Patients are encouraged to check with their doctor on the likely fees that they will be charged prior to consultation, as the treatment required would vary according to each patient's condition.

A typical bill would include charges for consultation, medicine/drugs and investigation/tests. The GP would subtract the amount of CHAS subsidy applicable for the visit, and charge the remaining amount to the patient.

Example on chronic conditions subsidy for Blue Health Assist cardholder:

Consultation	$25.00	List price of components that make up the total bill
Medication	$40.00
Lab Test	$30.00
Total Bill	$95.00
CHAS Subsidy	-$80.00	This is the amount of CHAS subsidy you are claiming for this visit
Patient Payable	$15.00	This is how much you will have to pay

Yes. Medisave can be used to co-pay the cost of treatment after deducting the CHAS subsidy for chronic conditions.  The prevailing Medisave rules and withdrawal limits would apply.  Medisave can only be used to co-pay the remaining bill after deducting the CHAS subsidy. The first $30 and a co-payment of 15% of the remaining bill after deducting the CHAS subsidy will still need to be paid in cash. The rest can be claimed from Medisave. Patients can use their own or their immediate family members’ Medisave accounts, up to the withdrawal limit of $400 per account for outpatient treatment of chronic conditions.

Example:

Consultation	$20.00	List price of components that make up the total bill
Medication	$90.00
Lab Test	$30.00
Total Bill	$140.00
CHAS Subsidy	-$80.00	This is the amount of CHAS subsidy you are claiming for this visit
Patient Payable	$60.00	Amount due after deduction of CHAS subsidy
Medisave Deductible ($30)	$30.00	This is the Deductible which you will need to pay.
Remainder (Patient Payable-Deductible)	$30.00	This is how much balance after Deductible is removed from Patient Payable.
Co-payment (15% of Remainder)	$ 4.50	This is the part of remainder which you will need to pay out-of-pocket.
Medisave Payable	$25.50	This is how much you can claim from Medisave.
Total Out-of-pocket payment (2 components)	$34.50	This is how much you will pay out-of-pocket at the time of consultation.

The tier is determined based on your medical condition and your General Practitioner (GP) will advise you accordingly.

Yes, you are able to seek treatment for your chronic and acute illnesses simultaneously.  However, you will be subsidised only for the primary purpose of visit, i.e. if your primary purpose is to follow up on your hypertension treatment but at the same time seek treatment for flu, you would only be subsidised for the hypertension treatment.

You are encouraged to see the same family doctor every time you are unwell so that the doctor can familiarise themselves with your personal and family's medical history. This will enable medical professionals to more effectively and holistically manage your medical conditions.

For common illnesses, it is not expected that more than four visits per month would be required. For chronic conditions, it is to be subjected to the annual subsidy cap (based on calendar year).

These guidelines have been put in place to ensure that patients with multiple visits are reviewed for potentially more serious underlying conditions which may require specialist or hospital care.

Yes, GPs participating in CHAS can make subsidised referrals for Health Assist Cardholders to SOCs. Health Assist Cardholders must still bring along their Health Assist Card together with their NRIC for verification, in addition to the referral letter from their CHAS GP.

There are no further subsidies for consultation and treatment for Health Assist Cardholders at polyclinics. However, from early 2012, Health Assist Cardholders will be eligible for higher subsidies for selected higher-cost standard drugs required for their chronic conditions covered under CHAS.

You may wish to inform your polyclinic doctor of your request and obtain a memo from him. The memo should indicate your condition, the medications that you are taking and latest test results, if any. This memo could be presented to your GP on your first visit to the clinic.

You may contact the Singapore Medical Council (SMC) or the Singapore Dental Council (SDC), which are the regulatory authorities charged with guarding against medical/dental incompetence and professional negligence committed by doctors or dentists respectively.

If you require any further assistance on CHAS, please click here, or  call the CHAS hotline at 1800-ASK-CHAS (1800-275-2427) between 8.30am and 6pm, Monday through Friday (excluding Public Holidays).