Is healthcare subsidy part of government grant?

Or just an avenue to to claim something else?

This is the bill of my 15 year old child who had waited for hours to see a
doctor for 5 minutes.

1-The consultation fee “full amount” is stated as “$38.97”.

Consultation fees of private clinics like the Healthway Medical Group range
from $22 to $35. In my child’s case, it would have been about only $22 at a
private clinic.  There are also neighbourhood private clinics charging
below this rate. The consultation fees at public clinics are expected to be
much lower for obvious reasons eg. no rental cost, lower staff salaries,
etc

Why do polyclinics jack up consultation fees to about 100% above average
private consultation fees and then subsequently offer an unbelievable
grant?

2 – The full amount of Paracetamol is stated as “$5.29”. But the retail price of a box of 20 tablets is only $2.50 at Guardian. Why do polyclinics mark up more than 100% from retail price and than offer an unbelievable grant?

A better comparison would of course be online prices. In the UK, a box of
16 tablets costs about S$0.50, which is a fraction of the stated price at
polyclinics.

MOH purchases Paracetamol in bulk which should mean they are even cheaper
than online prices. Which company does the MOH buy at such high prices from?

3 – Government grant – “46.12”. A grant is an expenditure item. Which companies are the recipients of all such government grants?

Attendance at polyclinics was 4,623,600 in 2013. If government grants
averaged $46 per patient last year, more than $212 million would have been
paid out by the government. Who ultimately receives the grants?

Instead of reigning in public healthcare costs, the PAP government uses tax
dollars (grants) to support and increase healthcare costs to unaffordable
levels. How could a visit to a polyclinic for a common ailment such as cough cost
$54 (before grants) when private clinics are charging much less?

This is ridiculous considering polyclinics:

- do not pay rent
- are not profit making
- have overall lower staff costs
- purchase medication in bulk
- provide a lower service than private clinics eg longer waiting time.

Conclusion

It is wrong for the PAP government to privatise public healthcare costs and
subsequently offer a “government grant”’. Hundreds of millions of dollars
have been paid out as “government grant”.

Phillip Ang

I received the above article through the mail. Looking at the numbers raised by Phillip Ang, they raised many questions on the funny formula of subsidies and govt grants. Why is there a necessity to have this complicated formula when a patient needs only to pay the net amount?

This reminds me of the PGP and the discounts that the pioneer generations are supposed to receive. What if like the above article has said, the fees have already been raised and the subsidies or discounts are as good as meaningless? Does anyone has any official figures on the hikes in medical fees and prices of medicine over the last 12 months to prove that there are indeed substantial hikes that will negate all the good discounts and the good feelings of the pioneers that they are really going to get a good deal?

If the hikes are more than the discounts or subsidies, then what? If the hikes are equivalent to the discounts or subsidies, it would mean LPPL.

Kopi Level - Blue. Thank you.

CPF savings – Tyranny of the minority

Why are a few million CPF members being held at ransom and at the mercy of a few individuals? Who or how many people are involved in deciding the fate of the money of the millions of CPF members, current and many to come? Why should these few individuals, an absolute minority that is too small to be meaningful, and assuming so much power to micro manage the life savings of the people?
 
After all the kpkb at Hong Lim and the social media, the Govt is taking notice and knows that if nothing is done, something is going to give way. And in the recent NDR, Hsien Loong did made a few changes and concessions, which to many were far from enough or meaningful.
 
In today’s ST, it was reported that the unionists are showing concern that allowing the poor CPF members to take a little more of them money out at 55 or 65 would do harm to their little savings. That if done, the little savings will be even more little for their retirements. I say, thank you very much for your concern and we all know you all have a very good heart.
 
Everyone is talking about those who are living to 90 or 100 and as if CPF is their only means to live their lives. Many have other forms or ways to survive their retirements. But most crucial, many will die without seeing their CPF savings, without having a chance to enjoy a little bit of them. Things are not so simple and straight forward like everyone is irresponsible and will go to Batam.
 
And who gives these bleeding hearts the authority to meddle with the lives and life savings of the people, a few millions of them? Who do they think they are? God? My God, if they are the Gods, the people must kneel down to beg for mercy as their kindness are deadly and could lead to tragedies to many.
 
If they think they are that kind and compassionate and wanting to help, open your pocket and take out your own money to give to those who need. Stop taking the money from those in need and stop telling them you are helping them. You are not helping them. You are meddling with their lives and causing pain and sufferings.
 
Good grief! What about those who die without benefiting from their life savings? What are you going to do about it? What is your solution?

Kopi Level - Blue. Thank you.

All the fuzz and buzz about trains and dog

These few days the buzz is all about trains and dogs. A forumer sent me this to show his unhappiness over the ill treatment of dogs and animals. Human beans are often oblivious to what they do to the animals and what seemed good or right for the beans could be cruelty to the animals. I hope no one would suggest tying a string over the dogs urinal organ if it go peeing everywhere. It is so easy and convenient for the human beans to do it to the animals.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/dog-disturbances-hdb/1333756.html

I refer to the above.
I strongly oppose to both the debarking methods proposed to be used to debark the dog, ie use of debarking collars or through surgery.
I feel the owners should be trained instead. Give the dogs freedom, and not let them be caged or leashed to a corner of the house. Dog barks because they are bored and stressed. Take them out for regular execise, give them more attention. Treat them like family members.

I suggest that HDB, AVA, and SPCA or other relevant authority make visits to homes reported to have dog barking nuisance, and see for themselves how the dogs are being handled. If dogs are being chained or caged, the owners should be warned, and if necessary, repeat offenders be fined or dogs taken away and owners be charged in court for animal abuse. The law should be changed to provide for the welfare of dogs.

Regards

Chong Kok Keong

America’s four corner fight

The Americans have lost control of the battlefields that they have started. They no longer could pick and choose where to start a fire and when to end a war. They are now reacting to the wars they started. The thinking that they could shut it down and move on to another theatre to start a new war is no longer that easy.
 
Today, the genie of war will follow and shadow the Americans wherever they go once it is out of the bottle. The Palestinian Israelis conflict will forever be dogging the Americans and Washington. It is an unending war of attrition. But the bigger quagmire must be Iraq. No, you can’t leave them alone after messing up the country. The Americans are needed to mend the holes it had created. The genie is growing in strength and demands attention. Obama is now in deep shit, to go back in or to wipe his hands? The latter option will see a more dangerous Iraq than under Saddam. The ISIS will be the dominant power in Iraq and the Middle East, and will be a bigger headache for the United States of Israel.
 
Then there is Syria. The ISIS is there too, fighting Assad. The American supported rebels are also fighting Assad. The fall of Assad would mean ISIS fighting the rebels and the Americans. But there is also the Russian factor. Putin would not allow Syria to fall into the hands of the Americans. Once the Americans move in, Ukraine will flare up and fall into Russian hands. The Russians have moved in and will consolidate its control over Ukraine and the former Soviet Union states. Would the Americans dare to venture into Russian territories?
 
With Ukraine secured, the Russians will move in strongly into Syria to confront the Americans. The Middle East, Palestinian/Israelis conflict and Ukraine will form the three corners the Americans have to fight on. And the fourth corner, the Afghanstan and Talebans/Al Qaeda will raise their presence and drag the Americans back into the region.
 
How would these four corner wars affect the American pivot in East Asia? The temperature in the region is heating up with the Americans increasing their provocations against the Chinese. Can the Americans afford another front? Do the Americans have the money to finance a 5 corner warfare? Do the American people still have the stomach to fight losing wars that are so costly and drag the American economy into the doldrum? Once a theatre is open, there is no way of extricating themselves out like in Korea or Vietnam. The wars will continue to drag on and on and drain on the limited resources of the Americans. Washington must know by now that they are not the chess master deciding on how many boards they want to play. Once the game has started, the opponents will insist the Americans play the game to the end. And there will be no easy quick checkmates.
 
The warmongers are stuck in the quicksand of wars they started.Can the Americans afford to do mischiefs in Asia?

Kopi Level -Blue. Thank you.

In praise of the Singapore Govt

Like it or not, love it or hate it, the Singapore Govt is about the most creative and innovative institution in the whole wide world when creation of value is concerned. Just look at the COE, it is really a piece of worthless paper, but the Govt can sell it to the motorists for $70k to $90k, just for the right to buy a car. The actual market value of a car could be less than half of the COE. The value created is unimaginable. Then there is the ERP, or electronic road pricing. The Govt just erected a few pillars, armed them with some electronics and the motorists just pay and pay, each pass costing a $1, $3 or more. With millions of motorists travelling all over the islands, with a multiples of such ERPs all over the island, the govt are printing money faster than the FED in the USA.

Now what else are they creating value out of nothing or creating extraordinary value from ordinary items? Public housing that was once available for the price of a song is now sold in hundreds of thousands and going higher and higher while the lease gets shorter and shorter. For the price of cheaply designed and constructed public flat with a 99 year old lease, they are selling to the people in terms of $200k, $300k, $500k and more. For the same sum of money, one could easily buy an estate 10 times or more with freehold land in many countries. Here it is like buying concrete containers built one on top of the other, and they sold them to the people as quality housing.

And they branded themselves as super talents, employed in public service and political appointments and marketed themselves to the tune of millions of dollars annually, making a mockery of the salary of the President of America. And what are the skills or abilities, responsibilities or achievements of the incumbents to deserve such remunerations? What did they do to be paid in the millions?

Who can create this kind of value out of ordinary people whose best achievements were mainly academic qualifications?

The shop keepers’ rent for a shop space, some as small as 50 sq ft, could be $10k or $20k pm or more. Everything that is of hardly any value, in the hands of these super talents will turn to gold, or at least the value of gold. Our Govt has the Midas touch, in creating value.

And who are paying for these artificially created values? Never mind, the important thing is the talent to create these values that no one else would be willing to pay for but to make Sinkies paying for them happily.

Say what you like, you must take your hat’s off to them. Wonder if they could create the same kind of value in other countries? Obama and all the ex Presidents of the USA have very poor skills in marketing themselves and the values of their jobs. The govts of the world should engage our govt to restructure their remunerations and sell it to their people.

Kopi Level - Green