Open up any Singaporean’s wallet and you’ll find a stack of cards at the ready for a good deal. There are credit cards for cashbacks, a PAssion Card for grocery store promos, and maybe an 11B card to use at F&B for subsidised meals. Heck, some of us get by with holding onto our orange and blue EZ-Links to score sweet student card discounts.
Here’s another card that you can add to your arsenal: the CHAS Card. No longer just for those in the low income bracket, all Singaporeans are entitled to own one. Plus, there are perks that come with having a CHAS Card when you visit private clinics. Here are 6 to know:
You might have already seen blue and orange CHAS Cards, which are given to those with a household monthly income of $2,000 and below. But there is now also a green CHAS Card for every other Singaporean.
Image credit: CHAS
To check your eligibility of which CHAS Card you can own, calculate your household monthly income by taking the sum total of income earned divided by the number of people living in your home. This number will then determine which CHAS Card you’re eligible for:
Although all Singaporeans are entitled to receive a CHAS Card, it is still an opt-in programme that you’ll have to sign up for. If you haven’t already, you can sign up for your CHAS Card online.
For affordable healthcare, visiting a polyclinic might be your go-to. But on days when a sudden illness disrupts your day past a polyclinic’s opening hours, you can still visit a private general practitioner (GP) for subsidised medical aid with your CHAS Card.
This would surely be more convenient if the CHAS clinic is nearer to your home. And, you’ll be able to walk in for a consultation instead of having to camp online to book a slot at polyclinics.
You’ll get up to $18.50 off as a blue cardholder, and up to $10 off for orange CHAS cardholders when visiting GPs for common illnesses like abdominal pain and fever.
There are also subsidies for all CHAS Cardholders with chronic illnesses, where doctor visits are more frequent. If you have a simple condition, your CHAS Card get you the following benefits:
As for those with a complex condition, like multiple chronic illnesses, here’s what you can receive with your CHAS Card:
You’ll be able to find a full list of common and chronic illnesses covered by the CHAS Card online.
When you think of chronic conditions, physical ailments like the ones listed above are likely to come to mind. But mental disorders, such as anxiety, bipolar disorder, major depression and schizophrenia are also classified as chronic conditions.
If you’re feeling anxious, you can visit a CHAS clinic for subsidised treatments for mental disorders.
This means that you too, can receive subsidies for your treatments on mental disorders. Similar to other chronic illnesses, treatment for a single condition will get you these subsidies with your CHAS Card:
And if your mental disorder has complications or you’re facing multiple disorders, these are the subsidies you can receive with your CHAS Card:
You’ll be able to claim these subsidies at selected CHAS clinics, and get the treatment you need as an alternative to specialist doctors. You can check in with the CHAS hotline at 1800-ASK-CHAS to find the nearest clinic to you.
There’s a saying that prevention is better than cure, but that’s not always possible. The next best thing would be early detection, since some illnesses, like cancer, lay dormant without any symptoms showing until it reaches a stage that is difficult to treat.
To get a leg up on such illnesses, the Health Promotion Board has made available regular health screens for all Singaporeans. The Screen For Life programme aims to detect various illnesses as early on as possible, so that treatments are more effective and cheaper.
Image adapted from HealthHub
Based on your age group and sex, you’ll go through various health screenings to detect common chronic illnesses and cancers.
Full health screenings can cost upwards of a couple of thousand dollars in private hospitals. But with your CHAS Card, the price for a screening comes down to just a few dollars. With a blue or orange CHAS Card, you’ll only pay $2 per screening, while green CHAS cardholders just pay $5. Plus, you’ll be able to enjoy these subsidised rates in the comfort of a private GP clinic.
You probably remember queuing up for vaccinations for illnesses like tuberculosis in school as a child. But immunisations don’t just stop once you graduate. Although not compulsory, there are vaccinations and immunisations you should go for as an adult.
Image credit: NCID
Ones for influenza and pneumonia should be taken yearly, since you’ll need your body to be able to fight new variants that pop up regularly. Then there are specific vaccines you’ll need when you hit a certain stage of your life, like Tdap (tetanus, reduced diphtheria and acellular pertussis) for when you’re pregnant.
Image credit: HealthHub
As a CHAS Cardholder, there’s a cap on how much you’ll pay when you present your card at a CHAS clinic. This means you won’t have to worry about exorbitant charges that would prevent you from keeping yourself safe from deadly diseases.
As we age, it’s not uncommon to find yourself having to deal with a chronic illness like high blood pressure. Since you’ll have to manage these in the long run, it’s understandable that the sudden lifestyle changes you’ll have to make will take a toll on your mental health as well.
If you’re struggling with coping with your chronic illnesses, there are patient services like nurse counselling available at clinics like Parkway Shenton. These nurse counsellors work with your GP in helping you manage your conditions better, such as working on dietary plans or coming up with a medication schedule so you’ll never miss a crucial dose.
Nurse counsellors will work with you and your doctor to help you manage your chronic condition better.
A single session with a nurse counsellor will cost $37.45 at Parkway Shenton before subsidy. But for blue and orange CHAS Cardholders, you’ll only have to pay $2 while green CHAS Cardholders pay just $3 per session.
Other healthcare services available include ones for diabetic complications. Annually, a diabetic retinal photograph and foot screening are needed to ensure blood circulation to the eyes and feet remain regulated. Any issues with either could cause blindness or gangrene, which could result in an amputation.
These screenings are usually $53.50 each at Parkway Shenton, but CHAS Cardholders get to enjoy a considerable discount. Present your blue or orange card to pay $12.50 or your green card to pay $23.50 per screening.
Parents, CHAS Card benefits don’t just apply to you. Your children can also get subsidies for healthcare before they’re able to get their own card. This will come in handy for your newborn up till they’re 48 months old, as they undergo Childhood Developmental Screenings (CDS).
The screenings make sure your kiddo is hitting all of his or her milestones at the right age, such as crawling at 7 months, and running from 24 months. Any abnormalities are then used to test for other developmental disorders. As a CHAS Cardholder, the 7 CDS are completely subsidised for your child.
In addition, juniors will also receive full subsidies on their immunisations and boosters under the National Childhood Immunisation Schedule with a CHAS Card. This covers important vaccines for life threatening diseases like polio and measles. The vaccines are administered from birth to 17 years of age.
With CHAS Cards now available for all Singaporeans, you’ll now be able to reap the benefits of these 6 perks at CHAS Clinics. And if you’re looking for one near you, Parkway Shenton has 47 clinics available islandwide for you to choose from.
Image credit: Parkway Shenton
Apart from providing these services at a subsidised rate, the medical group also offers other health services for a more holistic treatment, like TCM and physiotherapy. They even have a specialist advisory panel of doctors to refer patients for more serious conditions.
If you’ve been putting off going for a medical check-up or are interested in vaccinating against serious illnesses as an adult, the CHAS Card will ensure you’ll be saving substantially, and keep you and your family in good health.
This post was brought to you by Parkway Shenton.
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