ABSTRACT
This chapter uses a revised version of multiple-streams framework to examine the long-term care insurance reform (LTCI) in Singapore. The ElderShield Review Committee (ERC) appointed by the Ministry of Health (MOH) played an important role in designing the LTCI called CareShield Life. Members of ERC were policy entrepreneurs in this reform. CareShield Life was technically feasible because the ERC drew from the experiences of Japan, the Republic of Korea (ROK), Germany, Switzerland, and the United States and engaged the general public, community partners, and experts in designing the LTCI scheme. CareShield Life promoted the ideas of universal coverage and inclusivity, which were accepted by multiple stakeholders, especially those with pre-existing disability and those from lower-income families. The unchallenged rule of the People’s Action Party (PAP), its comfortable majority in Parliament, and the ‘national survival’ discourse put the PAP government in a very advantageous position to secure majority support for the LTCI reform. CareShield Life will be implemented in Singapore in 2020.
