Saturday, January 9, 2016

Leong Sze Hian & WP mouthpiece tries to pull a fast one over medical subsidies


It's really bullshit nonsense when the opposition-wannabes like Leong Sze Hian (LSH) tries to twist and bluff and scare the public about the amount of medical subsidies that the Govt provides for.

LSH's caption for the above bill screams:
“B2 ward Hospitalisation and medicine – $3,267 – MediShield Life pay $300”


wah... sounds scandalous right? After all, for a medical bill of $3267, a MediShield Life payout of $300 is only a paltry 10%.  Damn sad right?

But is that really true? Let's examine the facts as set out by the bill above.

In the bill, the total charges is $5,532.33 before any subsidy. (Where did LSH's figure of $3267 in his caption come from?)

Then we have the Govt Grant of $3263.62 for B2 wards kick in. (Did LSH confuse himself?) That's almost a 60% outright subsidy of the bill!

And bear in mind, this subsidy is NOT an insurance payout, or even money from the CPF medical insurance schemes. It is a outright govt grant towards the bill.

So the patient actually has to pay a balance of $2,333.51 after the Govt Grants. (GST is absorbed by Govt) But that's not the end.

This is where Medishield Life insurance kicks in and reduces the medical bill by another $300.16, which works out to be 12.8% of the balance $2,333.51.  And the Patient has received a total subsidy of (Govt Grant $3263.62 + GST Absorbed $158.80) = $3422.62.

The final payable amount of $2,333.51 is paid using the Patient's CPF (Medisave) account.

Yes, the MediSave money is NOT a govt subsidy but from the Patient's own (compulsory) savings. But remember, 17% of the Patient's CPF contribution comes from the Employer. And the MediSave account earns 4% pa interest on the savings- guaranteed.

So now, the Patient doesn't even have to fork out a single cent of cash, instead using the CPF savings to pay the bill.

Healthcare will never be cheap, and the costs will keep on rising. And this is a global phenomenon. You can't just look at the absolute amount that you are paying and scream "expensive" without comparing it to something.

Here are some experiences of those who have used our healthcare system.



Do you own homework and work out the maths. And then think about how much a similar hospital stay / treatment would cost you in another country.

Don't just let other stir your emotions and cloud you judgement.





Read more here:

Lovely Singapore - MediShield: The Independent misleading the public that no subsidies for $900 medicine using an old hospital bill

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