What can MediSave be used for? It pays for hospital stays and surgery, a defined list of outpatient treatments, and premiums for national health insurance and some private plans. Each use has its own withdrawal limit, and the limits are what catch people out.
This guide groups the uses into three: hospital bills, outpatient care and premiums. Figures are as listed by the Ministry of Health (MOH) and CPF Board in November 2026.
What MediSave Can Be Used For, in Brief
MediSave is the healthcare account in your CPF. It earns the same interest floor as the Special Account, and it can never be withdrawn as cash for other needs.
You can use your MediSave for yourself and for approved family members: your spouse, children, parents, grandparents and siblings. Grandparents and siblings must be Singapore Citizens or Permanent Residents.
A withdrawal limit is the most MediSave can pay for one item. It is not a subsidy and it is not the size of the bill. Whatever is above the limit is met by MediShield Life, other insurance or cash.
Hospital Bills and Surgery
For a hospital stay, MediSave can pay two things together: the daily hospital charges and the surgery itself. MOH lists these limits:
| Type of care | MediSave withdrawal limit |
|---|---|
| Hospital stay, first two days | Up to S$1,130 a day |
| Hospital stay, third day onwards | Up to $400 a day |
| Day surgery | Up to $830 a day |
| Surgical procedure | $240 to $5,290, depending on the procedure’s table code |
| Community hospital | Up to $250 a day |
| Psychiatric stay, third day onwards | Up to $230 a day |
| Maternity | The hospital and surgical limits, plus $900 for pre-delivery care |
| Assisted conception | $6,000, $5,000 and $4,000 for the first, second and later cycles, with a $15,000 lifetime cap |
These are the current limits on MOH’s page and on CPF Board’s using MediSave for hospitalisation page. Some older CPF Board articles still show earlier, lower figures, so rely on these two pages. If your bill is from an earlier admission, ask the hospital’s financial counsellor which limits applied.
Take an illustrative patient who stays four days in a subsidised ward for a mid-range operation with a $1,740 surgical limit. MediSave could pay up to $1,130 for each of the first two days, $400 for each of the next two, and $1,740 for the surgery. That is a ceiling of $4,800. The actual claim is the lower of the bill, after subsidies and insurance, and the ceiling.
MediSave also pays for inpatient palliative care and for rehabilitation in approved settings, each with its own daily and yearly limits.
Outpatient Care
MediSave does not pay for ordinary GP visits for coughs and colds. It pays for a set list of outpatient treatments.
Chronic conditions. Under the MediSave500/700 scheme, you can use up to $500 a year, or $700 if your conditions are complex. This covers listed conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure. From 1 January 2027, the limits rise to $700 and $1,000, and the scheme will be renamed.
Flexi-MediSave for seniors. Patients aged 60 and above can use up to $400 a year for outpatient treatment at polyclinics, public specialist outpatient clinics and CHAS GP clinics. A spouse’s MediSave can be used too, if the spouse is also 60 or older.
Vaccinations and screenings. MediSave covers vaccines on the national childhood and adult schedules, and screenings such as mammograms and newborn tests.
Scans. Up to $600 a year for outpatient diagnostic scans such as CT and MRI. The limit was raised from $300 on 1 January 2026.
Long-running treatments. Examples from MOH’s list:
- Kidney dialysis: up to $450 a month.
- Cancer drug treatment: up to $600 or $1,200 a month, depending on the drug.
- Cancer drug services and other cancer scans: up to $600 a year.
- Radiotherapy: from $80 per treatment, more for specialised types.
- Long-term oxygen therapy equipment: up to $150 a month.
MOH’s page lists more, each with its own figure.
Long-term care. Under MediSave Care, people with severe disability can make monthly cash withdrawals for their care needs, capped at $200 a month.
The short version: MediSave pays for hospital stays, surgery, listed outpatient treatments and health insurance premiums, each up to a set limit. The limit is a cap on what MediSave pays, not a promise that the bill will be covered.
Insurance Premiums
Premiums are the use most members never have to think about, because the deduction is automatic.
- MediShield Life. Premiums can be paid fully from MediSave, with no withdrawal limit.
- CareShield Life. Also payable in full from MediSave.
- Integrated Shield Plans. MediSave pays the MediShield Life part in full. For the private insurer’s part, it pays up to the Additional Withdrawal Limit: $300 a year if you are 40 or younger on your next birthday, $600 from 41 to 70, and $900 from 71. The insurer collects the rest in cash.
MOH says MediSave can also pay CareShield Life and ElderShield supplement premiums, up to $600 a calendar year per person insured. Integrated Shield Plan rider premiums cannot be paid from MediSave; MoneySense says they must be paid in cash.
Our companion piece explains how MediShield Life and CareShield Life premiums are paid from MediSave, including what happens when the balance runs short.
What MediSave Does Not Pay For
- Outpatient visits and treatments that are not on the approved lists.
- Any part of a bill above the withdrawal limit for that item.
- The part of an Integrated Shield Plan premium above the Additional Withdrawal Limit.
- Anything that is not a medical expense. MediSave cannot be taken out as cash.
The approved lists are long and specific. When in doubt, ask the clinic or hospital before treatment whether the item is MediSave-claimable and under which limit.
Why the Limits Exist
The limits can feel restrictive when you have a healthy balance and a large bill. Their purpose is to make the account last.
MediSave has to fund premiums and care into old age, when bills are most frequent and contributions have stopped. A balance spent freely at 45 is not there at 80.
That is also why the Basic Healthcare Sum caps how much MediSave can hold. Our guide to the MediSave top-up and the Basic Healthcare Sum covers the saving side, and our overview of the CPF accounts shows where MediSave fits.
What To Do Next
- Check your MediSave balance and past deductions on the Healthcare dashboard of the CPF website.
- Before a planned admission, ask the hospital for an estimate that shows subsidies, MediShield Life, MediSave and the cash portion separately.
- If you have a chronic condition, ask your clinic whether you fall under the $500 or $700 limit, and note the higher limits from January 2027.
- If you pay for a parent’s care, check whose MediSave is being used and how much is left for their premiums.
- Project how your balance grows with the CPF interest projector.
