8/20/2013

Health care – Please don’t help us

It has never failed. When the Govt said it is going to help you, be frighten, be very frighten. The Govt is going to help the people with a life time health care scheme. That is the good news. The bad news, you are going to pay for it dearly. It cannot be for free right? And there is no escape this time. It is going to be compulsory! Imagine the frustration over the years when Medishield cannot be made compulsory? Now with this ‘the Govt will help you Medishield Life’ it is now compulsory. And the premiums to pay for health care for life, I can’t imagine how much it is going to cost. The minister has said that it will be ‘affordable’, another very frightening word. We all know what affordable means to the average Sinkies and what affordable means to the rich and powerful. And the assurance that those who cannot afford to pay will be subsidized is not too much of an assurance either. How poor would one has to be before one is qualified for subsidies?
 

What are the statistics for Singaporeans to live to 70, 80, 90 and above 100? What kind of sicknesses were they hit and how big were the bills? At the moment the number for the oldies seeking major ops or expensive ageing related sicknesses could be relatively low. Many would rather die than to live on and on like the undead or vampires. The statistics would not be a true reflection of the reality as many could not afford to see the expensive treatments in the hospitals. But once there is such a medical coverage for life, many oldies will be demanding to want to be treated with no consideration to the prohibitive cost. It is free in a way with insurance coverage. Why not? How would this snow ball into an insatiable demand for more medical services?
 

When is the Govt going to accept that when one gets old, one must die? When is the Govt going to accept that many oldies cannot afford to grow old or did not want to grow old and live a life like walking corpses? There must be a clear definition of the kind of coverage under Medishield Life for the insurers to pay for, a ceiling on what is payable. It cannot be an open book and a blank cheque with the insurers footing every bill. If so, the cost would simply be passed down to the insured at great cost.
 

I hope the Govt would seriously reconsider this clever idea so that the people would have a choice to pay or not to pay. If it is so good, please make it optional and for all the rich to opt for it and for those who have reasons to want to live forever to pay for it themselves. Do not pass the financial burden to the innocent and the young and the majority that do not want it nor would appreciate it. Do not prevent people from dying. Dying naturally is a privilege, a blessing, and a right of being a human. Many would love to end their pathetic lives on earth soonest, the earlier the better. It is not a luxury to live a long life when one does not even have enough to eat. Prolonging life unnaturally is only a luxury for the rich.
 

Please think carefully. Please think of what the ignoramus are asking for. It may be true that some are asking for life long medical coverage. I bet this is a minority who did not know what they are asking for. We need wisdom in this issue of life and death. It is not simply about living and about the ability to pay, through a compulsory medical insurance scheme. It is geriatric care that is needed more.
 

This Medishield Life Scheme could be a very cruel scheme to many who did not ask for it. For those who cannot afford to live a life with simple human comfort, prolonging their lives is like making them a prisoner in a sick and dilapidated ageing body. Please, don’t help the people to extend their misery and pain on earth, and to empty their savings for it. They need their savings for the simple three meals. Don’t take that away. They don’t have millions in their bank accounts to feel happy and to want to continue living. They don’t need a heart bypass or chemotherapy or a pace maker or whatever machine to replace their failing organs.
 

Remember, when one passes 70 expect to die and prepare to die. That is the normal and natural thing to do. Do not prepare and expect to live another 100 years. It is a blessing to die naturally while one is still reasonably healthy than when one is bedridden and need someone to scrub your back. You simply stink and rot while still alive. And without the money you are dependent on other people’s charity and kindness to clean you and feed you. It is not filial piety to hang on to a life and to keep a dysfunctional body alive. Paying to keep a body alive but not working is an unkind act. There is a time to let go.
 

PS. When the Medishield Life scheme is extended to 92, it means you will have to continue to pay till 92. If it is extended forever, you pay forever. Tio boh?

30 comments:

  1. I thought the Government said that it will pay for the pioneer generation. So oldies like us need not worry about paying premium and get cover for life, tio boh?

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  2. What happen if very old and sick but still cannot die, then how?

    There was a report yesterday about a 63 year old man who still has to take care of her sick 100 year old mother.

    Like that how? Got law for euthanasia or not? Meaning forced to die painlessly and legally lah.

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  3. Read carefully ok. The pioneer generations are those in their late 60s and above ie past 65 at least could be 68 or 69 and above. It is just like the definition of poor and who will be entitled to subsidies. Read the fine prints.

    By the way, thanks everyone for the kopi kau kau.

    Cheers.

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  4. As a matter of principle, provision of life-time healthcare by the State for its citizens is good for it removes a fair amount of financial uncertainty, provides assurance of care when one is hit with an illness or accident and it allows other members of the family to carry on with life. With help of State resources, society will be gentler, kinder and more life-giving.

    But the way the miws are going about implementing it, leaves me with deep dread. You want more and better insurance coverage? YOU, not the State, pay for it. Medishield Life has got to "break even".

    The thuggish part about it is, it's compulsory! To put it crudely, lppl because in the past you've a choice to pull yourself out of paying high premiums, with this medishield life, you've no choice but to pay. Remember, before this scheme, medishield premiums have already hiked up quite badly and the miws are saying it would go up some more!!

    Despite all the rah-rah about how much budget surpluses miws have raked in, how successful gic and temasek are in their investments, nothing, zilch is said about using these monies to bring down insurance premium for Singaporeans.

    End of the day, this latest scheme is a raid on OUR Medisave savings. Deja vou.

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  5. RB, people like you made them do this. Always KPKB. Teach you complainers a lesson you won't forget in a hurry. Just like what my father said - give you an overdose of financial aid to make you realise that it will not make you make babies Some people will call them sadists but others will welcome the tough love treatment. Whatever you say, we will win back some votes come 2016, ha ha ha.

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  6. Hi Richard, you are right there. It is a great thing to have the Govt providing life time healthcare for the people through taxation.

    In this case this is paid by the people by compulsion.

    Why can't the taxes from the casino or from the Tote Board be used for this purpose? Is this a kind and caring govt?

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  7. Anon 10:47, I wish I am so effective. The only way is to level the score in 2016 or earlier if there is a chance: )

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  8. I told you so. Ask for help, pay the govt bill.

    Serves you right :-)

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  9. Next lesson to be learned, again painfully is the HDB prices. They will go even higher now, thanks to subsidies.

    Govt subsidies create shortages because it encourages MORE DEMAND in an already 'full' market.

    Subsidies incentivise those who are out of the market to get into the market, putting upward pressure on prices. The higher the prices go, the more subsidies are required.

    This gives another FREE KICK to people who already have HDBs -- who smile sweetly as the value of their flats go even higher -- thanks to subsidies.

    This in turn puts price pressure on the private sector...

    What happens over time is that property prices all over rise -- thanks to "subsidies".

    The govt starts out by making HDB "affordable" and this leads to everything, including HDBs becoming UNaffordable.

    Most "govt help" are some sort/ variant of Ponzi Schemes.

    Govt help? Very expensive lah!

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  10. 47,000 participated in the Natcon and dunno how many asked for this silly medical coverage for life. Now the whole population of Sinkies have to pay for it.

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  11. Medical cost is becoming a new tax on all the working people soon in Singapore. HK and Taiwan do it differently. Their governments care much for their people.

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  12. Hi hohoho, welcome to the blog. Yes indeed, this is another form of tax. The Aussies paid high taxes and get free education and healthcare. We are supposedly paying lower taxes but now the healthcare tax in another form.

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  13. All the gov in this world exploit their own people. First, they are property agents who sell you inflated properties but after 2008 financial meltdown, they evolved into healthcare insurance agents for a more reliable and improved income. Few people has medical knowledge so cannot question the costs involved. Healthcare will be the new tool all gov will be using to screw the people in this decade until another meltdown.

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  14. 'The Aussies paid high taxes and get free education and healthcare.'

    - Low income aussies pay nil to very low tax but also get free education and healthcare.

    In contrast, low income sinkies never get free education and healthcare.

    The increase costs of healthcare should be beared by the high income class of people by raising the tax on them and not sharing the burden across all income groups.

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  15. 'again painfully is the HDB prices. They will go even higher now'

    - spot on. and so will property tax and other costs. for those using their hdb as housing not investment purpose, they are further screwed. I am waiting for inflation to set higher record.

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  16. We have obama healthcare in us so we must have ah long healthcare in sin.

    We are screwed by this kind of politicians.

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  17. No, no, PAP must help you otherwise how can they find excuse to siphon money from national coffers into their pocket.

    Please appreciate their help. Consider your money of lesser mortal status as offering to the God and demi God of SinCity.

    Redbean,
    what do you think ?

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  18. The more helps they gave,
    The more miserable we will
    become.

    It is time for them to help themselves
    from further alienating the people.

    patriot

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  19. RB, in the 50s and 60s when we are in primary schools.

    We had free dental/medical care/checkups frequently as visited by the MOH big vans in our school compounds.

    Also, got free skimmed milk.That time, Sin still third world country and yet the old generation leaders got hearts for the children - future builders of the country.

    Now so much reserves and yet they so kor tok and stingy.

    Only spend on their govt employees and let them also makan duit duit

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  20. You may have the most intelligent people in govt, but what is missing is the heart in the right place. We know all of them have a heart. They need to juggle a bit, shake their body a bit, jump a bit, to get the heart into the right place.

    Only then can the people live an easier life.

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  21. 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 government?
    Is PM Lee operationally ready to be Prime Minister?

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  22. Fooled and fooled again and again and again and again...SHAME on us.

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  23. Only the outdoor air and tap water is the same.

    And every 5 years, at least 60% think the same which is the best party to be government.

    And 40% on which is the best to be opposition in Parliament.

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  24. "You may have the most intelligent people in govt, but what is missing is the heart in the right place."
    RB August 20, 2013 8:31 pm

    What really matters is that 60% think PAP heart is in the right place to be government.

    Or if not totally right, at least less wrong lah, as compared to WP.

    Everything is relative lah.

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  25. Tio. Poor Sinkies will feel very rich in Timbuktu.

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  26. redbean:

    Re: Arsetrailer:

    No, healthcare is not "free" for normal working people. Only for pensioners and unemployed. And this only relates to BASIC healthcare.

    Public education is also not free.

    Both health and education are not "free" but subsidised.

    But you're right: we're taxed to the eyeballs. Everything is taxed: savings - taxed, loans - taxed, capital gains - taxed, GST, company taxed, gambling - tax, smoking -- very heavily taxed, petrol - tax, booze -tax, mining - tax, carbon - tax...then there are also: local government tax, state government tax, federal government tax, "war" tax levied on international air travellers. (why the fuck is Australia fighting 2 wars?!?)

    If you read the Australian constitution it is mostly about TAX: i.e. how the govt is able to tax LEGALLY. The moment the govt doesn't tax legally, someone will challenge the govt in the high court. for e.g. the recent High Court challenge to the mining tax.

    With all these taxes and "free" healthcare and "free" public schools, I would choose the Singapore public health system ANYDAY. As for schools: no contest. Australian public schools are no match for the Singaporeans.

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  27. Subsidies is just as frightening a word as affordable.

    I think our govt is much richer than Australia and can afford to provide a basic medical coverage for the seniors from the taxes and revenue it is generating.

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  28. Fat cats don't get rich by giving their money away. It's call wealth accumulation, silly.
    Gimme, gimme, gimme.

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  29. Fat cats get rich by making you pay.

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  30. Right on. You pay they accumulate.

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