Healthcare services profitability down

'The industry registered a surplus of $918m...but profitability and cost effectiveness ...decreased by 0.5% each.' Taking a number like this will quickly tell a story of ineffectiveness and the need to raise charges to improve profitability. Heck, how can profitability and cost effectiveness go up if rental and salary keep going up? Everyone is demanding higher pay, higher rental or just push them up and claim that the operation is not profitable. Then simply charge the higher cost to the consumers. This is a free economy running under a free wheeling supply and demand principle. The only people who are suffering are the consumers who just have to pay and pay.

Hacking away at a fundamental principle

All these talks of how much people have in their Medisave, CPF savings, how rich they are and the introduction of Mean Testing is hacking away at a fundamental principle, or a basic right of an individual. This is the right to determine your own life, how you want to spend your money, what services you want to indulge in and how much to save for the rainy day. It is not a crime to be frugal and prudence by squandering your hard earned money away. This right belongs to the individual and not to somebody else. No one has the right to tell someone to spend his money the way he wants him to. The govt should concentrate on providing services that the people need, put them on the shelf at the prices it wants to offer. Let the people choose, let the people decide what they want.

The poor rich Singaporeans

This is another secret to Singapore's success. The poor Singaporeans, many of them, are like fish in a dried out pond but there is water everywhere. Look at his assets. Probably owns a 3rm flat or bigger, except those on rentals, has a big savings in his CPF that is untouchable till 65 now, and a $30k in his Medisave which is really untouchable unless he is seriously ill. And he will have a housing insurance, fire insurance, probably life insurance, and a compulsory annuity insurance to boot, akan datang. And some will also have Medishield insurance. Give it a few more years down the road he will probably acquire another few compulsory insurance along the way. And if he is working, there will be employee insurance, Workman Compensation Insurance, and specific trade or profession related insurance. But in spite of all these, he is penniless.

Why all the big fuss?

Boon Wan has briefly suggested how the new Mean Testing is going to work. Basically simple, practical and flexible. Ok, he has taken all the comments and reservations in msm and cyberspace into consideration. Good that he is listening. Mean Testing is not going to be an easy task. It is very difficult and would require a lot of manpower, effort and resources to make it effective. Then there is the demeaning and humiliating aspects that is quite inhuman in a way. So we are going to have a simple system. What for if it can't do what it should do? Why the effort for something that can hardly work? Would it be better not to have it if it is only to be so wishy washy? The old wisdom is that if it is not going to do a good job then don't do it. Is that so difficult? Why must there be this dogged commitment to carry it through? If it is a bad idea, it is a bad idea. Mean testing is going to go the way of the proposed compulsory scheme. Both won't work but will still be made to work. One is unnecessary and the other not going to work. Why all the fuss?

Prices, cost of living high?

Wrong, everything is just right. The high salaries, high prices of properties, high prices of rentals, taxi fares, hospital fees etc, everything is fairprice. All the crying, all the kpkbs are just hysterics and based on a few exceptions. As long as the demand is there, as long as people are willing to pay, then the price is right. In a market driven economy, everything is determined by demand and supply. The supply will be there as long as there is demand. Let the prices keep rising until an optimum level, then it will stabilise. This is basic economics. No one shall interfere with the market mechanism. It will ruin efficiency and productivity. Our prices compare to the big cities are still very low and have a lot of rooms to go...up. The complaints are baseless.