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Item 4 relates to Medishield. This is really an insurance program for healthcare expenses, although annual premiums are almost always paid from individuals’ Medisave accounts. Lee announced three changes:
4a. Medishield insurance cover will stretch to end of life, instead of stopping at age 90. This is a no-brainer; the absurd thing is that it had a cut-off age at all. What did we expect people to do? Commit suicide when they fall ill after 90?
4b. Medishield insurance will be universal. No one is allowed to opt out. Those who are currently out will be brought back in. That’s how national healthcare pooling should be, otherwise those who think they are in good health with low risks will refuse to participate, leaving only high-cost persons in the system. Again, why did it take so long to do something as basic as this?
4c. There will be a raising of the maximum claimable amount, as indicated by Lee’s words: “better protection for very large hospital bills”. Unfortunately, he left it vague. (This whole business of how Medishield actually works is confusing to many people, so I will try to explain below).
Lee pointed out that Medishield insurance premiums must go up. A bigger bite will be taken from our Medisave accounts to pay for them. Once again, no money is intended from the public purse, except in the case of people who don’t even have enough money in their Medisave to pay for premiums. In those cases, “for those who cannot afford”, the government will “subsidise” the premiums.
Yet no details. I checked the Ministry of Health website four days after the speech. Nothing there.
It shouldn’t be hard to disclose the existing figures, e.g.
•what percentage of Singaporeans are currently covered under Medishield and their demographic profile;
•how much is collected in annual premiums;
•how much is disbursed for pay-outs;
•what is the ratio of current pay-outs to current premiums;
•how this ratio is expected to change as the population ages or as the demographic profile evolves in other ways, assuming no modification to the terms of the insurance.
Surely, before the cabinet approved the general outline, they would have been provided current figures, as well as projections how these figures will
change if the proposed modifications are implemented. Why aren’t they promptly released to the public? Are data masseurs now at work?
- http://yawningbread.wordpress.com/2013/08/22/healthcare-safety-net-improvements-long-overdue/
4a. Medishield insurance cover will stretch to end of life, instead of stopping at age 90. This is a no-brainer; the absurd thing is that it had a cut-off age at all. What did we expect people to do? Commit suicide when they fall ill after 90?
4b. Medishield insurance will be universal. No one is allowed to opt out. Those who are currently out will be brought back in. That’s how national healthcare pooling should be, otherwise those who think they are in good health with low risks will refuse to participate, leaving only high-cost persons in the system. Again, why did it take so long to do something as basic as this?
4c. There will be a raising of the maximum claimable amount, as indicated by Lee’s words: “better protection for very large hospital bills”. Unfortunately, he left it vague. (This whole business of how Medishield actually works is confusing to many people, so I will try to explain below).
Lee pointed out that Medishield insurance premiums must go up. A bigger bite will be taken from our Medisave accounts to pay for them. Once again, no money is intended from the public purse, except in the case of people who don’t even have enough money in their Medisave to pay for premiums. In those cases, “for those who cannot afford”, the government will “subsidise” the premiums.
Yet no details. I checked the Ministry of Health website four days after the speech. Nothing there.
It shouldn’t be hard to disclose the existing figures, e.g.
•what percentage of Singaporeans are currently covered under Medishield and their demographic profile;
•how much is collected in annual premiums;
•how much is disbursed for pay-outs;
•what is the ratio of current pay-outs to current premiums;
•how this ratio is expected to change as the population ages or as the demographic profile evolves in other ways, assuming no modification to the terms of the insurance.
Surely, before the cabinet approved the general outline, they would have been provided current figures, as well as projections how these figures will
change if the proposed modifications are implemented. Why aren’t they promptly released to the public? Are data masseurs now at work?
- http://yawningbread.wordpress.com/2013/08/22/healthcare-safety-net-improvements-long-overdue/
