MediShield Life Premium Table Explained: Official Rates, Subsidies and Age Bands

How to read the official premium table

The Ministry of Health (MOH) describes its premium schedule as applying to Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents with a policy start or renewal date on or after 1 April 2025. The schedule in Table A contains annual base premiums before subsidies, but those amounts already include 9% GST. Do not add another 9% when calculating what is payable.

MOH applies the age bands using a person’s age next birthday at the start of the policy year. Its claims guidance also explains that a policy year is not necessarily the same as the calendar year, so readers should check the dates in their annual premium notice before selecting a band. This avoids using the wrong rate merely because someone’s ordinary age and their age next birthday fall in different bands.

The figures below therefore represent the annual MediShield Life base premium, including GST but before any applicable subsidy.

The complete official base premium table

MOH’s Table A publishes all 16 age bands:

• Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents
• Age next birthday 1–20: $200
• Age next birthday 21–30: $295
• Age next birthday 31–40: $503
• Age next birthday 41–50: $637
• Age next birthday 51–60: $903
• Age next birthday 61–65: $1,131
• Age next birthday 66–70: $1,326
• Age next birthday 71–73: $1,643
• Age next birthday 74–75: $1,816
• Age next birthday 76–78: $2,027
• Age next birthday 79–80: $2,187
• Age next birthday 81–83: $2,303
• Age next birthday 84–85: $2,616
• Age next birthday 86–88: $2,785
• Age next birthday 89–90: $2,785
• Age next birthday above 90: $2,826

The table is not a monthly payment schedule and does not include an Integrated Shield Plan or rider charge. It is the starting point for the official MediShield Life premium calculation.

Lower- and middle-income premium subsidies

MOH’s income-related subsidy depends on three pieces of information: the person’s age band, household monthly income per person and the Annual Value of the residence in which the person lives. MOH also states that an individual who owns more than one property is not eligible for Premium Subsidies.

The official household income tiers are:

• Lower-income tier: $0–$1,500 per person per month
• Lower-middle-income tier: $1,501–$2,600 per person per month
• Upper-middle-income tier: $2,601–$3,600 per person per month

MOH Table B sets the corresponding subsidy percentages as follows:

• Lower-income tier: $0–$1,500 per person per month
• Age next birthday 1–40: 25%
• Age next birthday 41–50: 30%
• Age next birthday 51–60: 35%
• Age next birthday 61–70: 40%
• Age next birthday 71–80: 45%
• Age next birthday 81–85: 50%
• Age next birthday 86–90: 55%
• Age next birthday above 90: 60%

• Lower-middle-income tier: $1,501–$2,600 per person per month
• Age next birthday 1–40: 20%
• Age next birthday 41–50: 25%
• Age next birthday 51–60: 30%
• Age next birthday 61–70: 35%
• Age next birthday 71–80: 40%
• Age next birthday 81–85: 45%
• Age next birthday 86–90: 50%
• Age next birthday above 90: 55%

• Upper-middle-income tier: $2,601–$3,600 per person per month
• Age next birthday 1–40: 15%
• Age next birthday 41–50: 20%
• Age next birthday 51–60: 20%
• Age next birthday 61–70: 25%
• Age next birthday 71–80: 30%
• Age next birthday 81–85: 30%
• Age next birthday 86–90: 35%
• Age next birthday above 90: 40%

The residence’s Annual Value then changes the result:

• Annual Value of $31,000 or less: this is the ceiling stated in MOH’s eligibility heading, subject to the next point.
• Annual Value from $21,001 to $31,000: the subsidy is reduced by 10 percentage points from the applicable Table B rate.
• Annual Value above $31,000: MOH states that these income-related subsidies are not available.

A reduction in percentage points is not the same as taking away 10% of the subsidy percentage. For example, a 40% Table B rate would become 30%, not 36%, if the residence falls within the $21,001–$31,000 band.

For the income subsidy in Table B, MOH says Permanent Residents receive half the applicable Singapore Citizen subsidy rate. The property-ownership condition and residence Annual Value rule still need to be considered.

Pioneer Generation and Merdeka Generation subsidies

MOH publishes separate age bands for the two generation subsidies. These are additional official schedules, not extensions of the Table B age ranges.

• Pioneer Generation subsidies
• Age next birthday 66–70: 40%
• Age next birthday 71–80: 44%–54%
• Age next birthday 81–90: 54%–59%
• Age next birthday above 90: 60%

• Merdeka Generation subsidies
• Age next birthday 60–75: 5%
• Age next birthday 76 and above: 10%

MOH says the Merdeka Generation schedule applies to a policy start or renewal date on or after 1 July 2019. The Pioneer Generation figures for ages 71–90 are published as ranges rather than one percentage for each entire age band.

The cited schedules do not state that income, Pioneer Generation and Merdeka Generation subsidies can simply be added together. Check the subsidy applied in the official premium notice rather than stacking several percentages by assumption.

Worked premium calculations

These are arithmetic illustrations using MOH Tables A and B. They assume the residence and property-ownership eligibility conditions are met and apply only the stated income subsidy.

For a Singapore Citizen whose age next birthday is 45, Table A places the person in the 41–50 band with a base annual premium of $637. In the lower-middle-income tier ($1,501–$2,600 per person per month), the Table B subsidy is 30%.

The calculation is:

$637 × (1 − 0.30) = $445.90

The resulting annual premium after that subsidy is therefore $445.90, with GST already included.

For a Permanent Resident in the same age and income tier, MOH’s half-rate rule changes the 30% Citizen subsidy to 15%:

$637 × (1 − 0.15) = $541.45

The resulting annual premium is $541.45 under that illustration.

An older example shows how the same calculation works across a different base band. A person whose age next birthday is 72 has a Table A base annual premium of $1,643 under the 71–73 band. At the lower-income tier ($0–$1,500 per person per month), the Table B rate for the 71–80 band is 45%:

$1,643 × (1 − 0.45) = $903.65

These amounts are calculations, not quotations. They do not include any Integrated Shield Plan, rider or other separately arranged charge, and they do not assume that generation subsidies can be added to the income subsidy.

Why the premium changes between bands

MOH’s table assigns progressively higher annual premiums to many older age bands, rising from $200 for age next birthday 1–20 to $2,826 above 90. The progression is not a single percentage formula and does not rise at every age: the published premium for ages 86–88 and 89–90 is $2,785 in both bands.

The cited MOH material explains how the age bands operate but does not provide an actuarial explanation for the different amounts. The practical rule is to use the age next birthday at the start of the policy year and apply the premium assigned to that band. When the age next birthday enters another band at the start of a later policy year, the new band’s base premium applies.

MOH and CPF do not publish an official Integrated Shield Plan or rider price list because insurers set those commercial prices. Readers who want the cost of broader cover should ask their insurer for a current written quote that separates MediShield Life, any Integrated Shield Plan and any rider. This keeps the official base premium distinct from the full price of the protection arranged.

FAQ

Which age should I use for the premium band?

MOH uses age next birthday at the start of the policy year, and its claims guidance notes that the policy year may not be a calendar year. Check the dates in the annual premium notice before choosing the Table A band.

Is another 9% GST added to these premiums?

No. MOH labels the annual base premiums as inclusive of 9% GST. Start with the listed premium and apply only the eligible subsidy rather than adding GST again.

How does a Permanent Resident’s income subsidy compare with a Citizen’s?

For Table B, MOH says a Permanent Resident receives half the applicable Singapore Citizen subsidy rate. A 30% Citizen rate therefore becomes 15% for a Permanent Resident, subject to the other eligibility conditions.

Can income, Pioneer Generation and Merdeka Generation subsidies be added together?

The cited MOH schedules do not say that all three subsidies can be added. Use the subsidy reflected in the official premium notice and do not stack the percentages without confirmation.

Where can I find Integrated Shield Plan and rider prices?

MOH and CPF do not publish official prices for those separately arranged benefits. Ask your insurer for a current itemised quote so that each charge is clear.

References

• Ministry of Health, MediShield Life Premium and Subsidy Tables: https://www.moh.gov.sg/managing-expenses/schemes-and-subsidies/medishield-life/medishield-life-premium-and-subsidy-tables/
• Central Provident Fund, MediShield Life Premiums and Subsidies: https://www.cpf.gov.sg/member/healthcare-financing/medishield-life/medishield-life-premiums-and-subsidies
• Central Provident Fund, MediShield Life Premium Table: https://www.cpf.gov.sg/content/dam/web/member/healthcare/documents/MediShield%20Life%20Premium%20Table.pdf
• Ministry of Health, How to make a MediShield Life Claim: https://www.moh.gov.sg/managing-expenses/schemes-and-subsidies/medishield-life/how-to-make-a-medishield-life-claim/