SINGAPORE: Most employers of migrant workers will pay lower rates for them to get healthcare when a mandatory primary care plan is revised from Apr 1, 2027.

Since 2022, employers have been required to buy a primary care plan for work permit and S Pass holders who live in dormitories or work in the construction, marine shipyard and process sectors.

Employers currently pay S$108 (US$84) to S$138 per worker per year. From next April, the revised rates will range from S$97 to S$113, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said on Thursday (Aug 6).

This annual payment, also called a capitation rate, is paid to an anchor operator to provide the worker with services, like health screenings and medical consultations and treatment, for the year.

MOM said the upcoming expiry of the current contracts with primary care plan operators was an "opportune moment to raise the bar".

Under the revised plan, about 94 per cent of employers will pay lower rates, ranging from S$2 to S$41 less per worker per year.

About 3 per cent, or slightly under 500 employers, will pay higher rates of about S$5 more per worker per year. Rates for the remaining 3 per cent of employers are expected to remain the same.

The revised plan will also bring clinics closer to migrant workers – within 2km from where most of them live, compared with 3km now, said MOM.

Minister of State for Manpower Dinesh Vasu Dash said the enhanced plan reflects MOM's commitment to ensuring that migrant workers can access "affordable, accessible and assured" primary healthcare.

At the same time, it keeps costs manageable and sustainable for employers, he said.

HIGHER TELECONSULT CO-PAYMENT

Lower rates in the revised plan are possible because of a new co-payment rate for telemedicine, and five-year contracts that amortise costs over a longer period, said the ministry.

The co-payment for telemedicine consultations will rise from the current S$2 to S$5 next April to account for higher costs. Co-payments for physical clinic consultations will remain at S$5.

The revised plan also lowers costs by better aligning service hours to migrant workers' needs and actual usage patterns, said the ministry.

For example, teleconsultation hours will be cut to 17 hours instead of 24 hours a day. This covers 99 per cent of all teleconsultation needs,...