Quick answer. MediSave is your national medical savings account within CPF, and you can use it for yourself and approved immediate family members. It covers hospitalisation and approved day surgeries, chronic disease management (MediSave500/700, up to S$700/year for complex conditions), approved vaccinations and health screenings, maternity expenses, and MediShield Life and Integrated Shield Plan premiums – but each use has a withdrawal limit set by CPF and MOH. MediSave generally cannot be used for routine GP visits, A&E, cosmetic procedures, or over-the-counter medicine, and the limits exist to preserve your savings for large bills. Unused MediSave stays yours and earns CPF interest. Always confirm the current figures with CPF Board before treatment.
MediSave is the part of your CPF set aside for healthcare. It is not free credit and it is not insurance – it is your own savings, earmarked for approved medical costs, with withdrawal limits that protect it from being drained on small, routine bills. Below is a practical guide to what MediSave can and cannot pay for in Singapore, with the official limits as of 2025-2026. Because these limits are reviewed periodically, confirm the current figure on the CPF Board website before you commit to treatment.
At a glance
| Use | Covered by MediSave? | Limit / notes |
|---|---|---|
| Inpatient hospitalisation | Yes | Up to ~S$1,130/day first 2 days, ~S$400/day thereafter; confirm current figure |
| Day surgery | Yes | Up to ~S$830/day hospital charges, plus TOSP surgical limit |
| Surgery (Table of Surgical Procedures) | Yes | ~S$240 to S$5,290 by complexity; multi-procedure total capped at S$5,290 |
| Chronic disease management (MediSave500/700) | Yes | Up to S$500/year (non-complex) or S$700/year (complex) per patient; 15% cash co-pay, waived for Healthier SG enrollees |
| Approved vaccinations & health screenings | Yes | NCIS/NAIS vaccines, mammograms, approved colonoscopies; some items separately capped |
| Maternity (MediSave Maternity Package) | Yes | Pre-delivery ~S$900 + delivery + daily ward limits; ~S$4,280 typical from 1 Apr 2025 |
| MediShield Life / Integrated Shield Plan premiums | Yes | Up to Additional Withdrawal Limits (age-based); excess paid in cash |
| Routine GP visit, A&E, cosmetic, OTC medicine | No | Generally not claimable; pay in cash |
What MediSave is – and whose bills it can pay
MediSave is a national medical savings scheme that forms one of your CPF accounts. A portion of your monthly CPF contributions flows into it throughout your working life, and like other CPF monies it earns interest (currently 4% per annum on MediSave, subject to review). Any unused balance remains yours.
You can use MediSave not only for your own approved medical bills but also for your immediate family members – your spouse, children, parents, grandparents and siblings. Grandparents and siblings must be Singapore Citizens or Permanent Residents; other dependants can be of any nationality. This means a family member with a healthy MediSave balance can help pay your approved bills, and vice versa.
Hospitalisation and approved day surgery
For an inpatient stay at an approved hospital, MediSave can be used up to a daily withdrawal limit that covers ward charges, treatment fees, investigations and medicines. As of 2025, the inpatient limit is up to about S$1,130 per day for the first two days and S$400 per day thereafter (the ward-charge component within this is around S$550/day for the first two days). For day surgery, the limit is up to about S$830 per day for hospital charges. Confirm the current figures with CPF before your procedure.
On top of the daily limit, surgical procedures carry a separate Table of Surgical Procedures (TOSP) limit. Each approved operation is ranked by complexity, and the MediSave surgical withdrawal ranges from about S$240 to S$5,290. Where more than one procedure is done, the total surgical withdrawal is capped (subject to a maximum of three procedures across no more than two anatomical systems), and cannot exceed S$5,290 or the actual amount incurred, whichever is lower.
Chronic disease management – MediSave500/700
Under the Chronic Disease Management Programme (CDMP), MediSave can be used for outpatient treatment of around 23 approved chronic conditions – such as diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, asthma and major depression. This is the scheme commonly called MediSave400/500/700.
The annual outpatient withdrawal limit is up to S$500 per patient per year for non-complex conditions, and up to S$700 per patient per year for complex chronic conditions. A 15% cash co-payment normally applies at GPs, polyclinics and Specialist Outpatient Clinics. Importantly, since 1 February 2024, if you are enrolled under Healthier SG and see your enrolled Primary Care Physician for a CDMP condition, you can use MediSave to pay the full bill up to the withdrawal limit with no 15% cash co-payment.
Vaccinations, health screenings and maternity
Vaccinations: MediSave covers immunisations under the National Childhood Immunisation Schedule (NCIS) and National Adult Immunisation Schedule (NAIS) – for example influenza, pneumococcal, hepatitis B, MMR and varicella vaccines.
Health screenings: Approved screenings such as mammograms (for eligible women) and recommended colonoscopies and newborn tests can be paid from MediSave. Certain diagnostic items have their own caps – for instance CT/MRI scans up to S$600 per patient per year.
Maternity: The MediSave Maternity Package lets you use MediSave for pre-delivery medical expenses (up to about S$900) and the delivery procedure, plus the daily ward limits for your hospital stay. From 1 April 2025 a typical delivery episode can draw up to roughly S$4,280 in total. Assisted conception treatment is also claimable up to a lifetime limit (around S$15,000). Confirm current figures with CPF.
Insurance premiums: MediShield Life and Integrated Shield Plans
MediSave can pay the premiums for national insurance – MediShield Life and CareShield Life – for yourself and your immediate family. It can also pay premiums for private Integrated Shield Plans (IPs) and CareShield Life supplements, but only up to the Additional Withdrawal Limits (AWLs), which depend on the policyholder’s age. Premium amounts above the AWL must be paid in cash. This is a key everyday use of MediSave that keeps your essential hospitalisation cover active.
What MediSave cannot be used for, and why limits exist
MediSave is generally not for: routine GP consultations and most minor outpatient visits, Accident & Emergency (A&E) visits, routine private health screening that is not on the approved list, cosmetic procedures, over-the-counter medicines, and most non-surgical dental work (such as extractions, crowns, dentures and braces).
The withdrawal limits and exclusions are deliberate. Because MediSave has to last you a lifetime – and may need to cover major hospital bills, surgery, chronic care and insurance premiums in old age – the limits stop it being spent down on small, routine costs that you can reasonably pay in cash. Whatever you do not use stays in your account, earns interest, and remains yours.
Related guides
Sources
- CPF Board – Using MediSave for hospitalisation
- CPF Board – Using MediSave for outpatient treatments
- CPF Board – 10 uses of MediSave
- MOH – MediSave700 withdrawal limit
- HealthHub – MediSave for Chronic Disease Management
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