Since April 1984, the national medical savings scheme mandates that every employee contributes 7% - 9.5% (depending on age group) of his monthly salary to a personal Medisave account. Compulsory savings which are allowed to be withdrawn only to pay the hospital bills of the account holder and his immediate family members. Savings which are deducted from his own hard earned wages. Semantics aside, co-payment and Medisave mean the same thing - you pay your medical bills out of your own pockets.
When Gan said that, under the new Medishield Life scam, patients' share of big hospital bills will go down from what they have to pay now, what he means is that the Medisave portion is going up. This is confirmed by the next line, where he promises "Medisave contributions will have to go up at an opportune time". This is on top of what all of us, including Han Fook Kwang the Lee Kuan Yew apologist, experienced early this year when we were advised of the hike in Medishield premiums for existing coverage plans. This bears repeating: Medisave monies come from our own pockets. Not from the national budget allocated for public health or welfare.
The same "calculating and manipulative" agenda is probably behind the snake oil from Chan Chun Sing's "Pioneer's health care 'covered for the rest of their lives'" blather. We would like to be wrong for once, but only one very old guy is enjoying the state's largess - he gets the full member of parliament allowance entitlement without rising from his comfortable bed to attend meet-the-people-sessions (MPS). The rest of us minions have limited number of days for paid medical leave.
Last year we helped a relative to apply for the use of Medisave to pay for outpatient treatment under the Chronic Disease Management Program. As in deductions from his Medisave account instead of out of cash expenditure. We were not aware, or advised of, the small print:
"The cost per transaction for each Medisave claims (sic) is $X.XX (excluding GST). This cost is not claimable from Medisave."
Translation: We have to pay for the privilege of using our own funds.
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Quote from someone:
ReplyDeleteEverytime the PAP "helps" anyone, we end up paying even more... be afraid.... be very afraid.......
Under Medishield, my premium has already increased several folds. How long can I continue to pay the higher premium for Medishield Life?
ReplyDeleteAll schemes are bulls. Even when PAP said that we should be worried as less working adults are supporting the old is a bull. PAP did not tell us that whatever cost you incurred, the payment is from your own pockets or your relatives.
ReplyDeleteWhat they tell you is not bull. What is paid into the Medisave, in the govmen's mind is already not your $$ but theirs. And why does anyone think that any $$ is left in the Medisave for you to pay your own medical bills?
DeleteWe were told in Parliament that the Medishield Scheme surplus is $850 million for the last 10 years. Year after year, the Scheme collects more than it pays out. Why are we constantly asked to continue paying higher and higher premium? Looks like this is yet another money making system for the govt to milk every cents from its citizen.
ReplyDeleteSo after all the noises about the non affordability of healthcare because the garmen is too wasteful buying rompton bikes and hm chairs, they will now make it VERY affordable for the poor. But not out of the garmen's pockets of course not! The garmen has to keep up with the joneses, HM chairs and batmen police cars are non negotiable, kickbacks have to be funded after all. It will be the non-poor paying for the poor. Meanwhile the rich top civil servants continue to enjoy free medical benefits plus automatic annual inflation-adjusted pay increase (and more, plus promotion each time Grace rants on fb), all paid for by the tit sucking sheeple taxpayers of course! This is the new system! Lots of PR spin about caring garmen, hong bao for the pioneers etc. The only people laughing to the bank as usual, are the top civil servants who cook up these crooked ideas.
ReplyDeleteA government that shirks the basic responsibility of providing affordable healthcare to its citizens through the guise of the 3Ms while preferring Singaporeans to bear more in terms of healthcare cost either through out-of-pocket payments or buying private insurance. Any government that does not believe in affordable universal healthcare and contributes the least spending among OECD countries does not deserve my vote or your vote.
ReplyDelete
Delete"does not deserve my vote or your vote."
Hey, where have you been all these years?
Sinkies did voted and have continue to vote for the PAP for fifties years.
Your vote dun count and will be out voted each and every time!
I can guarantee it!!
The mandarins are at it again. Wordsmiths. Semantics is everything.How long will the patience of the people last? Hopefully they will put their feet down at the next GE.
ReplyDeleteSorry Bro, Sinkies got small foots and hot air in their brains. Even if the oppositions able to win, can they govern? With retired MP, Generals, Permanent Secretary, Civil Servants, Garmen's linked companies in every corner....
DeleteIt is mind boggling to run even a small office let alone a Department.
I have long given up hope, with no regret.
The tax you pay enable the government to help you ... if you help yourselves. In simple words, the government helps itself to your tax whilst you are expected to help yourselves.
ReplyDeleteStrictly speaking, the government does help two groups of people - the very rich and the very poor. It is only the sandwich class which is marginalized.
There are things the middle class can do:
1) leave Singapore for a greener pasture
2) join the rank of the very rich or the very poor
3) whack the daylight out of the ruling party in the next poll
Let's all go for the third option.
DeleteThe Elite Schemers had been exploiting and milking the People all these years with schemes and more schemes. However, the People seemed to enjoy the way they are being managed.
ReplyDeleteQuite funny and hard to understand.
Delete"...the People seemed to enjoy the way they are being managed"
I whole heartily agree Sinkies continue to vote for the PAP, with over 80% and for fifties years!
With such overwhelm mandate, why should they care? PAP will continue to milk the cows till it dies one by one. Next cow please....
When we have an absentee MP who need not attend a single MPS session but yet is paid his full MP allowance, frankly why do we need this type of jiak liow bee MP to represent his constituents?
ReplyDeleteIf they insist that his duties can be attended by some other member, is that not a kind of deceiving the public that so many GRC members are required as a minimum so that one of the lazy or cheating MPs can play truant?
So logic right?
The old fart can claim he is mentoring those in his grc and the mp allowance is merely a token sum for his services...but sadly the whole bunch are all turning out to be good for nothing.
Deleteholy $h!t the system is run by banksters!
ReplyDeleteTheory & practice never did match: GST payable to use our own money... now that is a very bold act.
ReplyDeleteNo opposition
No watchdog
No independent oversight
Not even a caped crusader that will help.
We have to do things ourselves.. no maid, no foreign worker, no opposition, no revolutionary leader... we cant even have an advisor.
sigh... eventually I still have to soak & wash my own underwear.
Your last paragraph was what "feed me to the fish" once said, you pay administration charge to use your medisave for medical bills. He has already died and I wonder if the govt is still holding on to his CPF savings or "confiscated" them. PAP is a big sucker.
ReplyDeletemedishield premium already up. Look at your CPF Statement
ReplyDeleteThey increased the Medishield premium quietly, so that when the Medishield Life premiums are announced, the percentage hike won't look so bad. It's all done with math.
DeleteHow does that medishield really compare to the personal life insurance one pays to?.
ReplyDeleteWhatever it be, remember it your money only when it's in your pocket. A CPF moratorium is just another ponzi. You asked why they are interested in your pillars:
1. housing : to enslave the young?
2. health care : to enslave the old?
3. education: to enslave the future?
and their solution CPF - everso easy to laid their hand on.
Imagine every one pays 120,000 into you cpf medical account - X 2million people = 240,000,000,000
in a lifetime : and we even have to apply to used it. We are just so enslaved even in our thoughts!!!!. All these Indonesian terrorist, WP bashing and elders healthcare were meant to side track you on the 55 years old swipe on you CPF - the one that will really wake up.....Don't believe! Ask those that just happen to be around 55 right now.
You believe chemo helps you but fukushima kills - how clever my doctor. We are being chemo and we pay and enjoy the presstitudes. thow in some forum invite some compliance academics with a madcap dissent advocate - the world a stage. Enjoy 2014 for what it is worth.
The money is in their hand, what are you going to do about it?
ReplyDeleteTalk. Cry. You don't win. Communism or fascism or democracy : they are just names. Imagine one day CPF can't even cash out : it must be their printing press, their labour not yours.