What is there not to like about MediShield Life? My knee jerk reaction was how are we going to pay for all these? Ellen Lee on 93.8 this morning also had some worries and suggested that doctors and consumers must not have the buffet mentality. What is there to prevent the abuse other societies experience from appearing here? Nevertheless I think this is the right path to go down but we must not only be vigilant but also check abuse. I don't trust doctors, so many in the privacy of their minds are just business people and over time their reputation in society can only go down given better consumer education and the Internet more of us discover them for what too many of them really are.
My good old friend was happy when MedisShield Life was announced yesterday. Here is my Whatsapp chat with him. (click on pic for larger display)
Update: 9:50am
Prime Minister, you and your "all" and "every" again. These are bad words for politicians. They cheapen their promises and character. Keep those words intact with their original meaning for Singapore society. Elsewhere they abuse it, it is their business, we mustn't be like them. Why can't you just simply say "vast majority" or "nearly everyone" or more modestly just simply "most". The political liability to your government is that many people will notice and remember some who will inevitably fall through the cracks. Over time the population will grow cynical like other places when most people learn and accept what a Singapore politician mean by "all" and "every". Haven't you notice the WP do not indulge themselves on them? They are shrewder than you.
Update: 10:20am
Found this at TOC, so timely.
Note what is probably topmost of Dr. Jeremy Lim mind. The doctors on the other side are like locusts in disguise as butterflies. The healthcare industry will make sure that medical inflation is at least double or more than headline inflation. That is how doctors transfer wealth from the population to themselves. They arbitrage patients' fears and knowledge. America has been the cruel guinea pigs of the healthcare industry exploitation. We must make sure it doesn't happen here. This can not only hurt but also destroy us.
Update: June 7 10:00am
But they don't bring out the drums to make such points. There are quieter, slower and more effective ways to go about communicating. First and foremost respect your citizens and don't chide them like PAP MPs used to who are now quickly transmogrifying themselves into servants.
Update: June 10 :10:55am
We are finished if this also becomes the reality for us eventually. Already there are no shortage of doctors here who would gladly bill more if you are claiming insurance.
Perhaps it is for effect that you have put them in such stark contrast. We mustn't forget that many from the old generation invested and spent till it hurt to bring up the next generation. They could have put themselves first and under invest and spent on the young which would then probably wouldn't do well enough to even help the older generation.....
ReplyDeleteThe PGP should have been in place sooner and without citizens' shaming the govt into it.
Its the duty of the old generation to give the best for the young. I have kid and I will do it for free. Itsnt a choice, the old must always put for the betterment of the next generation. Only with that the society grow maturely and survive. People always ask for their right but forgot their duty and responsibility. Thats unwritten social contract, u break it, and the whole generation lose.
ReplyDeleteNow all the medical vultures will feast on people alive. This long term will push out quality people joinin in, and the issue will never be solved. I dont see how greying population issue will be solve with this either. Long term only the shrewd live in Singapore, too bad if your descandant not one.
So what they should do? Make sure the society feedback loop intact : elites can hit peasant, and peasant can hit elites, with gov as balancer. Now peasant cant hit elites, the feedback loop is broken. I realize this is world issue, but Singapore is so compact it should be easier to control. Short term wise if it's done it will rock the boat hard but
the boat survives
to add
ReplyDeletemedical is always secondary, the primary is hope
settle the social issue first, the financial later
Haha .. I like your Whatsapp trail that you shared. If they're going to just follow WP's recommendations in their major policies, then why don't we just vote for the WP directly instead!!
ReplyDeleteAnyway on a more serious note, I'm glad to note that the gut reaction in many Singaporeans is not to celebrate the "good news" or to swallow it wholesale, but to be skeptical that nothing is for free and that we're not being told the whole picture. Unfortunately, just like the COE review, I feel that this "review" is half-hearted. Even Salma Kayek (the ST journalist) pointed out at the end of her writeup that unfortunately, the big issues are not tackled in this exercise. Eg : Why do we need a 3rd party (insurers), who pay out only 62% (as pointed out by Gerald Giam) of what they take as premium? By enlarging the pool of insured through Medisave Life and making it compulsory, you're essentially giving insurers a windfall and guaranteed profit for life. How does that benefit the people? Since 2/3rd of insured currently are on private insurance plans, why is all the focus merely on this 1/3rd? Additionally, most working folks are covered by their company's insurance. Why is the insurance system then designed such that each individual "double pays", but mostly only claim from their company's insurance? Do our system really require double-pays to be solvent? In the USA, Obama's plan basically says you EITHER have company insurance OR buy privately, no duplicate needed.
Too many unanswered questions. But the only certainty is that insurers will make more money, doctors will make more money too (since all treatments are now "affordable" and can therefore be leniently prescribed). Which means somehow, we'll have to pay more.
Thanks for adding to this post somethings I had missed/left out. No time, in a hurry.
DeleteIt is sad the ruling party has to be shamed into doing something which with all the brains and the salary/benefits these "top brassses" should have done for the people. Hope we don't land up with false or half promises.
DeleteYou have forgotten to add the insurance vultures. As it is the payout over premium is only about 60+ % , when the norm should be 80+. Easy money who doesnt want?
ReplyDelete