Introduction
Mr Speaker, I rise in support of the Bill.
This first major review since 2020 strengthens a safety net that more families will rely on in the years ahead.
From 2026 to 2030, payouts under CareShield Life will grow at 4% a year, which means that a new claimant in 2030 can expect about $806 a month,a meaningful step-up to keep pace with rising long-term care costs.
To cushion the impact on households, I welcome the Government’s commitment of $570 million in additional premium support over five years, which will help moderate the premium increases for workers and families who are already managing higher everyday expenses.
I am also reassured that premiums remain fully payable by MediSave, because, at its heart, a national safety net must be accessible: no one should lose coverage simply because they cannot afford to pay at a point in time.
The case for action is clear. By 2026, Singapore will be a super-aged society. Severe disability can strike in mid-life as well as old age; claimants have ranged from 30 to 93, with a median age of 52.
As a Labour MP, I view this Bill through the lens of working families and caregivers on the ground. My remarks focus on the Three A’s, Affordability, Adequacy, and Accessibility, with prevention, cost transparency, and the care workforce woven through each.
Affordability: Fair Help, Clear Signals, And Prevention Up Front
The expanded means-tested premium subsidies, up to 30%, together with higher income thresholds and the increase of the Home Caregiving Grant to $600 in April 2026, will make a practical difference to households watching every dollar. These measures are necessary, but they must also feel fair in life, not just on paper.
For many self-employed and commission-based workers, their incomes swing month to month. Means-testing should therefore reflect typical earnings over a reasonable period, rather than penalising a brief spike that nudges a family across a line.
Affordability must also recognise gendered realities. Women often shoulder caregiving and face career interruptions; we should continue monitoring women’s affordability and study targeted participation incentives for those who have prolonged caregiving spells, so premiums remain manageable without eroding retirement adequacy.
Affordability also depends on families knowing what to plan for. To give households and policymakers shared, reliable signposts, I propose an Annual LTC Cost & Workforce Report.
This should set out a simple, public “basic basket” of long-term care costs across home care, day care and nursing home settings, including transport and consumables, alongside wage and staffing trends in the care sector.
With clearer signals, we can calibrate subsidies early, rather than react late, and keep CareShield Life affordable and sustainable. Finally, the most affordable dollar is the one we never have to spend.
Sustained investment in prevention and mental well-being, physical activity, chronic disease control, early rehab, and community mental health, delays or averts disability and reduces time spent in severe disability. Upstream health is not a slogan; it is the first pillar of affordability for families.
I urge MOH to continue scaling community programmes that help workers maintain good physical and mental health, so they can stay employed longer and recover better if illness ever strikes.
Adequacy: Basic Protection, Kept Relevant, Supported By A Strong Care Workforce
CareShield Life provides basic, lifelong protection. Keeping the claims threshold at 3 of 6 Activities of Daily Living preserves affordability for the broadest base, while those who want earlier triggers can opt for supplement plans. That balance between solidarity and choice is appropriate for a national scheme.
I note ground feedback from care workers and unions that even with faster payout growth, the net dollar impact, after premium increases, may still fall short for some families, and that some private supplements pay from 1–2 ADLs.
While I support keeping CareShield Life affordable at 3 ADLs, I ask MOH to publish side-by-side illustrations of premiums and payouts, base scheme versus with supplements, so households can make informed choices.
Adequacy must also keep pace with reality on the ground. If care inflation or sector wage growth outstrips payout growth beyond 2030, we should be prepared to adjust the scheme parameters.
The Annual LTC Cost & Workforce Report will give the Council and Parliament early warning of cost and wage pressures, so refinements can be timely made rather than overdue.
Adequacy rests on people, not just on numbers. When care workers are short-staffed or burnt out, our families end up paying more for private help or coping alone. We should therefore scale workplace transformation through CTCs for example, workflow redesign, assistive technologies, tele-rehab, and AI-enabled documentation, to lift productivity while protecting rest time.
Crucially, productivity gains should translate into fair wages for care workers and tangible savings for families. A stable, respected workforce is how we keep services available at a standard and cost that families can live with.
Accessibility: A Clearer, Kinder Path To Claim And To Care
Access should feel straightforward in moments that are anything but. A single severe-disability assessment ought to open the door to related schemes, such as the Home Caregiving Grant, without repeated forms and visits.
Where clinically appropriate, tele-assessments can spare less-mobile seniors and time-pressed caregivers’ additional trips.
Two refinements would make the process fairer without changing the ADL threshold.
First, assessment guidance should explicitly recognise supervision needs arising from cognitive impairment or serious mental health conditions, so assessors apply criteria consistently and compassionately.
Second, repeat assessments should be waived or further subsidised when a condition’s trajectory is clear, and recent specialist documentation should be accepted where appropriate. Alongside this, aligning eligibility rules, including property Annual Value thresholds, would prevent families from qualifying for one scheme but missing out on another due to technicalities.
Segmen Penjagaan (Bahasa Melayu) , Kolam Ayer & Estet Lama Di Jalan Besar
Tuan, di kawasan Saya, di Kolam Ayer, merangkumi estet-estet lama seperti Bendemeer, Geylang Bahru, Sims Vista dan St George’s. Ramai warga emas tinggal berdekatan dengan anak dan cucu mereka.
Dalam banyak keluarga Melayu/Muslim, penjagaan dipikul ahli keluarga yang masih bekerja, seringnya wanita, di samping mengasuh anak dan menyokong ibu bapa.
Kos harian seperti pengangkutan, lampin dewasa dan rawatan susulan cepat meningkat, dan tekanan mental kepada penjaga sering tidak kelihatan.
Oleh itu, tiga keutamaan harus dipercepatkan: kerja anjal sebagai norma supaya para penjaga kekal bekerja; khidmat “satu pintu” untuk penilaian, geran seperti Home Caregiving Grant, dan perkhidmatan komuniti; serta laluan kembali bekerja dengan kredit latihan, penempatan kerja dan sokongan CPF supaya persaraan tidak terjejas.
Langkah-langkah ini memudahkan akses, meringankan beban, dan melindungi kesejahteraan mental para penjaga.
Conclusion
In conclusion, if we get the Three A’s right, Affordability with fair help and clear cost signals, Adequacy that keeps pace with real pressures and is anchored by a respected care workforce, and Accessibility that is simpler, faster and kinder, then seniors in our older estates like mine, and caregivers across Singapore can face the future with dignity and confidence.
This Bill moves us in that right direction. Let us pair it with the Annual LTC Cost & Workforce Report, sustained workforce transformation that shares gains with both families and workers, and continued emphasis on prevention and mental well-being.
Mr Speaker , I support the Bill.
