English
Fully-vaccinated Singapore residents, long-term pass holders no longer need to pay for Covid-19 treatment post-travel
WITH the introduction of the Vaccinated Travel Framework, fully-vaccinated Singaporeans, permanent residents and long-term pass holders will no longer need to cover their own Covid-related medical bills after travelling.
Currently, if such travellers develop symptoms or test positive for Covid-19 within 14 days of returning to Singapore, they must foot their own bills in hospitals and dedicated Covid-19 treatment and recovery facilities.
But for new admissions from now, the charging policy for such travellers will be aligned to that of local community Covid-19 cases, such that they do not have to pay for such bills, the Ministry of Health said in a press release on Thursday (Mar 24).
The change applies to fully-vaccinated travellers returning from countries or regions under the General Travel Category – which currently includes all countries. It also applies to those who have been medically exempted from Covid-19 vaccination, and children aged 12 and below.
Any future changes to the charging policy for local community cases will apply to this group of travellers too.
There is no change to the charging policy for short term pass holders, who remain responsible for any Covid-19 medical bill during their stay in Singapore.
Travellers who are not fully vaccinated also remain responsible for their Covid-19 treatment costs, similar to the charging policy for unvaccinated individuals who contracted Covid-19 in the community.
Currently, no countries or regions have been classified under the Restricted Category, which is for areas affected by a new variant with potentially significant public health risks.
But any travellers subject to Restricted Category border curbs will have to pay their own medical bills if they develop symptoms or test positive within 7 days of their return to Singapore, regardless of their vaccination status.
Source: https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/government-economy/fully-vaccinated-singapore-residents-long-term-pass-holders-no-longer-need-to-pay