How do I save on my long-term mental healthcare costs?
Mental healthcare can be costly. Regular consultations, medication and even having to take time off to attend appointments can have long term impacts on our lives. In fact, a 2013 study found that treatment costs over SGD10,000 per year for severe depression, with much of that cost attributed to productivity and wage loss, on top of the cost of consultations and medication.
So how can we save on long-term mental healthcare costs?
1. Get treatment closer to home
If you’ve received mental healthcare in hospitals, you know it can mean long hours of waiting. If you’re working, this means taking a day off (or at least half a day) to attend your appointments.
If you’re comfortable considering a change of doctors, or have not yet received any treatment for mental health conditions and are looking for somewhere to go, there are GPs who are trained to treat mental health conditions at their clinics. They are also able to refer you to the hospital or to other community services as necessary.
Getting treated at a GP clinic near your home or workplace means you could arrange for weekend or evening appointments, saving you transport costs and time. Mental Health GPs are also able to provide medication at a similar cost to hospitals, meaning your medication prices will not increase. You can even benefit from subsidies!
Resources:
2. Receive subsidised care
Certain mental health conditions are covered under subsidies**. If you have a Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS), Merdeka Generation or Pioneer Generation card, you can make use of subsidies for your mental healthcare.
Taken from the CHAS website: https://www.chas.sg/content.aspx?id=636
Anxiety, Depression, Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia are considered Chronic Mental Illnesses which can be subsidised under chronic conditions.
CHAS also complements the Chronic Disease Management Programme (CDMP), which allows the use of MediSave to pay for treatment, up to $500 per patient per year. You are able to draw from your own MediSave account, as well as your family members’ MediSave account.
**CHAS and CDMP subsidies for mental illness only apply at Mental Health GP clinics. Please refer to the Mental Health GP listing above and contact the GPs to ensure they accept CHAS and/or CDMP.
Resources:
3. Make use of free services
There are many free counselling services available in Singapore, both online and offline. If your mental healthcare treatment does not require medication or regular monitoring, reduce appointments with your doctor. Instead, have regular, free counselling sessions. This can help reduce your long-term costs while ensuring you are still receiving adequate care.
Free online services:
Free in-person services***:
***Although not all services are free, the following organisations do provide some free services.
If you want to know more about mental healthcare in Singapore and possible costs, we’ve collated some additional resources below:
If you need support now, please find 24/7 hotline support here.
References
Ho RC, Mak KK, Chua AN, Ho CS, Mak A. The effect of severity of depressive disorder on economic burden in a university hospital in Singapore. Expert review of pharmacoeconomics & outcomes research. 2013 Aug 1;13(4):549-59.