Navigating the challenges of caregiving is a reality for many families in Singapore. The emotional, physical, and financial toll of balancing work, family, and the rising cost of long-term care can be immense. As NTUC Secretary-General and Member of Parliament for Jalan Kayu SMC, Ng Chee Meng shared, he has met families in Jalan Kayu and beyond struggling with this balance, noting that expenses for helpers or nursing homes can run into thousands each month. Even with subsidies, many middle-income households feel the strain. As Singapore rapidly approaches a “super-aged” society in 2026, with one in two residents expected to develop severe disability in their lifetime, it is crucial that schemes like CareShield Life provide real assurance to both the stricken person and their caregiver.
Calls for Enhanced Assurance in CareShield Life
In his speech during Parliament on October 15, 2025, Mr. Ng expressed support for the bill but urged the Government to enhance the scheme’s assurance on three key fronts: payout adequacy, premium affordability, and strengthening support for caregivers.
1. Ensuring Payout Adequacy
Mr. Ng acknowledged that the enhancements are timely as long-term care costs are rising faster than general inflation. While he welcomed the move to double annual payout growth to 4%, he questioned whether this will truly keep pace with the actual costs of long-term care in the years ahead.
To help families plan with confidence and give Singaporeans peace of mind, Mr. Ng made the following recommendations regarding payouts:
- Peg payouts to costs: He advocated for pegging CareShield Life payouts to cover at least a certain proportion of estimated long-term care costs. This would give families a clearer picture of what the scheme will and will not cover, allowing them to plan early with greater certainty.
- Maintain meaningful payouts after growth stops: He sought clarity on how the Government will ensure payouts remain meaningful and adequate when growth stops after age 67, or once a claim is made. This is critical because without continued payout growth, inflation steadily chips away at the real value of payouts, and CareShield Life risks falling short just when families need it most.
2. Maintaining Premium Affordability
While heartened by the Government’s assurance that no one will lose coverage because they cannot afford their premiums, Mr. Ng highlighted the real worry for middle-income families, who may not qualify for means-tested support. He noted that the 4% annual premium increase can quietly add up and eat into MediSave balances, especially after transitional subsidies taper off by 2030.
To give families greater assurance and stability, he suggested:
- Cap premiums to income: Premiums be capped at a fixed percentage of the median per-capita household income. This would ensure premiums remain fair and sustainable across income groups, in line with wage growth.
- Provide an expected upper limit: He also asked the Government to share the expected upper limit of premiums beyond 2030, allowing Singaporeans to plan their finances with greater certainty.
3. Refreshing the ‘Caregiver Compact’
Mr. Ng stressed that in conjunction with CareShield Life, there is an urgent need to refresh the “Caregiver Compact” so that caregivers themselves are not left behind. He focused on helping caregivers build their own retirement adequacy.
Many caregivers make the difficult decision to leave the workforce, resulting in smaller CPF balances and savings. Mr. Ng emphasized that we must not let those who gave care in their younger years go without care in their old age, as they may later struggle to afford the very long-term care they once gave.
His key recommendation was:
- Provide CPF top-ups: He urged the Government to consider providing CPF top-ups to primary caregivers who lack retirement savings due to their caregiving responsibilities. This would go a long way in giving them assurance that even as they care for others, they too will be cared for.
This would go some ways in giving them assurance that even as they care for others, they too will be cared for in turn.
Ng Chee Meng, Secretary-General of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC)
He concluded by urging the Government to review and refresh the Caregiver Support Action Plan, which was launched 5 years ago, to better recognise caregivers’ sacrifices, strengthen the ecosystem around them, and help them care for both their loved ones and, in time, for themselves.
