Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Affordability Questioned

The question on every body's mind after Sunday night: By how much will premiums go up? The answer is already written on the wall: As much as they can get away with it.

Health Minister Gan Kim Yong issued the vacuous assurance, that premiums under the new Medishield Life scheme will be affordable. A vacuous truth is a truth that is devoid of content because it asserts something about all members of a class that is empty - they haven't even figured out the numbers yet. With the next breath intake, he said the Government will subsidise the premiums for those  who cannot afford them. Maybe we missed something here, why are subsidies needed at all if the premiums are truly affordable?

You've seen this line with "affordable" housing. On this point, the 25 year repayment schedule for a 4-room flat indicated by the PM implies an  Affordability Ratio (AR) of 5.9 (household income $4000, 4-room flat at $285,000 BTO price). The Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey 2013 defines affordability as 3.0 and under, i.e. you should be able to pay off the mortgage with 3 years' total annual income. According to the report, surveys indicate that many households are having children later, or not at all, because housing conducive to raising children is unaffordable. Next to the nefarious stop-at-two campaign, housing unaffordability has to be key to a declining population. Father and son may tell you different, but truth always prevails.

By their benchmark, a $100,000 Certificate of Entitlement (COE) is also affordable. Their line of reasoning started off with the quip, “People support CPF cuts because there are no protest (sic) outside parliament.”

Faith is defined in the dictionary as strong or unshakable belief in something, especially without proof or evidence. Blind faith is unquestioning of anything that is dictated by the religion of choice, no matter how foolish, or even if one "rule" (or "guideline") contradicts another. Now, what was that guy at the podium asking you to subscribe to?

24 comments:

  1. We were asked to have Faith.
    Those who believe the PM either are super well off or are real daft.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Title of this blog should be "Faith questioned".

      In America, they always say God Bless America.
      In Singapore, they want us to say LKY Bless Singapore.

      Now the son is looking to renew our faith. At best we can only give him Hope.

      Delete
  2. Re the final question in your blog today: The PM was pleading in his speech for a return to the old days. A time when Sporeans didn't question and simply believed what the PAP/govt told them no matter what. AKA blind faith.

    Anyone who was moved by the tears, pleas and general high drama at the rally, and actually believes the promises made, is a gullible fool.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Obviously he was faking the tears in his speech, but he won't have to in 2016 ?
      By then we will see him shedding real tears,
      even wetting his armpits and pants too.

      Delete
    2. @Anon 1.24, what makes you so confident Pinky will lose big? For me, I'd be more than happy if they lose 2 GRCs.

      Delete
    3. Pinky has the most to lose when the oldman departs for the grave. Opportunity for the eunuchs.............

      Delete
    4. I for one would really love to go back to the olde days.

      The days of the first generation leaders who lead by example, and not lured by lucre.

      The days when leaders lead, and not follow.

      The days when leaders are paid in the thousands and not millions, and yet deliver good solid performance.

      The days when trains don't break down so often, and buses and trains are not packed like sardine.

      The days when housing were affordable.

      The days when foreign talents are real talents, and not the fallen talents that we now have.

      Yes, I long for yesterday..........

      Delete
    5. Those were the days my friend, we thought they would never end,
      We sing and dance....we live the life we choose...
      Then the busy years went rushing by us.....

      Delete
  3. Less than 1 year after the last Medidhield premium hike, they are hiking again, as usual disguised as govt doing "more" in healthcare. Some big holes desperately need to be patched - I wonder if it was that $4b lent to Greece via IMF and now completely written off (daily news that IMF wants more write-downs from creditors) or another big bet gone wrong in TLH and/or GIC. I am starting to wonder if the papigs haven;t already found a way to rig the 2016 outcome, how else to explain this repeated affront to the common sense of the man on the street? They seemed bent on going down the road of hell - see whose balls are bigger. The more sheeple shouts, the more they smile and shaft it in deeper. This is indeed exciting stuff...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They are now focusing on increasing the medishield knowing how successful they are in increasing it and earning tons of money with only few get to use it. They are just singing the same over and over again, knowing that they can get away with it everytime. Look how disgusting they are using the aging in tv advertisement to set their money-making agenda.

      Delete
    2. Is called co-payment. Or in their biz lingo, everyone should have a skin in the game. Especially when it comes to cost, we contribute our cost/share before the gain. But when it comes to profits, they take 100% of the gain ($, glory, repute, praise, bonus you name it).

      Head they win, Tail they win.

      Delete
  4. Go and have a look at Temasick Jinx investments in BRIC, all the losses in there must be bore by Singaporeans!!! Treating Singaporeans like a fool!!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. For the Chicken Littles what could be worse would be when we put in place a real game-changer: enlightened opposition parties who can assume and share real political power; at the very least a shadow govt to make up the 50 yrs of lost momentum and political maturity that PAP (or LKY) has single handedly crippled the system.

    People can no longer afford to put their eggs in one basket. Not especially when politician tell you they will deliver swiss standard of living which only came through for the top 10%.

    ReplyDelete
  6. It is noble for us as a country to attempt to insure everyone. We just need to start being honest around how truly expensive it will be for those who can't opt out now and how expensive it will be for the government. (yes, looking at you, the Medifund piece)!

    ReplyDelete
  7. This is nothing but a scam to enriched their cronies involved...

    Who are the major stakeholders in the "appointed " companies?

    ReplyDelete
  8. There's a new religion called PAP and messiah is LKY! (Blind) Faith is now invoked to further the religious mandate to keep and grow its followers...

    ReplyDelete
  9. No bread, how to live,on faith alone ? Better to be a monk or priest.

    ReplyDelete
  10. "affordable' is a political term... and shall we be misled into believing the story? Probably NOT!

    ReplyDelete
  11. what the premium collected by those cronies?

    the total number of claims?

    the total amounts paid for claims?

    are the distribution for these payout to different claims skewed?

    will it take 100 years to collate these data?

    ReplyDelete
  12. If PM Lee still cannot fix the record number of dengue fever cases;
    How can he help us with our healthcare which is an even bigger problem?

    Is the PAP operationally ready to be the government?
    Is PM Lee operationally ready to be Prime Minister?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. //Is the PAP operationally ready to be the government?
      Is PM Lee operationally ready to be Prime Minister?//

      Why don't you ask WP that?
      Or SDP or NSP or whatever Parties if they are even operationally ready to RUN for election with good slate of candidates, and actually WIN.

      Delete
    2. Omfg..... those fucktards papies ministers n mp are creditable?

      I reallee feeling sad for lineage.. keep it up!

      Delete
  13. Hallelujah! Hurrah! Now everything's affordable, because of the PM's great NDR SPEECH. This SPEECH has solved all our problems. More, more. Give him an OSCar.

    ReplyDelete
  14. For lim siah suay.... the question of affordability is irrelevant.

    It's free for VIP

    Doubt he is the lone ranger

    ...oops, his personal assistant may had paid n It's included in the meal

    ReplyDelete