The Con Goes On

"Indicative premiums" for a middle-income family

When Health Minister Gan asks you not to worry about the cost for Medishield Life premiums it's time to panic. Those who sent their kids overseas because places at the local universities were given gratis to foreigners should start asking them to look for a job over there and sponsor mom and dad across. While remaining coy about the actual premiums planned, Gan and Senior Minister of State (Health) Amy Khor seem to have the secretive numbers to claim the additional 1 per cent employer Medisave contribution should cover the increase. As if the sickly, handicapped and aged are likely to find an employer to cough up the additional dues so easily.

The charade is starting to resemble a seafood meal gone bad at Newtown Circus, where the scamster won't show you the price except to say it's according to market rate. Who ordered the removal of the $300,000 lifetime claim limit, increase of yearly claim limit from current $70,000 to $100,000, or increased daily claim limits for normal hospital wards? Who wants to partake of Alaskan crab when three meals a day - at hawker center, food court or restaurant - is already a daily struggle?

And then there's this subsidy card they like to play, treating the citizenry like fools who will fall for the trickery, again and again. What's the use of a temporal "transitional subsidy" when the full force of the hefty bill will hit after a brief respite?

When Medishield Life Review Committee chairman Chin was asked why there are no premium rebates for those who maintain good health, never had to see the doctor for a cough or a cold, he said the committee did not want people to forgo necessary treatment just to get a no-claim bonus, "We want to encourage good lifestyles... but not through the Medishield framework". Does that suspiciously sound like Medishield Life is not intended to look after the well being of your life? More like another scam to perpetuate the life long lock up of our retirement savings?

The only good news about the shady package is the reduction of the co-insurance component of the medical bill. Then again, they never did promise not to hike the rates for various hospital charges and procedures. Gotcha again.