Greater Cost-of-Living Support for Critical illness Survivors through CareShield Life
Amidst ongoing cost-of-living debates in Parliament, Leap201 is particularly concerned about the financial impact of critical illnesses on working families.
Many working families struggle when a breadwinner faces critical illness. To advocate for stronger support for this vulnerable segment, Leap201 launched the Care4WorkingFamilies (C4W) programme in January 2025.
C4W’s First Policy Recommendation – Enhancements to CareShield Life
We believe CareShield Life can be enhanced to provide greater support to working families with critical illness survivors. We propose two initial recommendation- increasing its payout (in tandem with inflation) and relaxing its eligibility criteria.
Cushioning the impact of job and income loss from severe disability
Under existing CareShield Life parameters, a 35-year-old adult receives $662 in cash payout per month. Given rising living costs, we are concerned this is insufficient for an adult, much less for a breadwinner who has young dependents. We call for the CareShield Life payout to increase in tandem with inflation. There can be annual or more regular reviews so that the payouts keep pace with costs of living.
Reviewing CareShield Life eligibility criteria
Currently, to be eligible for CareShield claims, a care recipient must require full assistance with at least three out of six Activities of Daily Living (ADL). This may exclude survivors of very late-stage cancer or serious heart diseases, two conditions which make up the ‘Big 3’ critical illnesses. While they may not be severely disabled, they are often unable to do some activities of daily living.
These survivors have to make difficult trade-offs between work and recovery due to pressing living needs. Many a times, they spiral into deeper job insecurity and poverty. We urge for the criteria on ADL to be eased, so that more survivors of critical illnesses can receive the financial support they need.
Reimagining Support for Working Families: A Stronger Safety Net for Critical Illness Survivors
A key highlight of Budget 2025 is Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s clarion call to support workers amidst the changing landscape of job economy. He said: “We cannot save every job, but we will support every worker in Singapore.”
We share this vision and remain committed to strengthening support for working-age survivors of critical illnesses. Let’s reimagine how we can better support working families facing these challenges.
Photo credit: The Straits Times: https://shorturl.at/grjJc