What I hate about the current Singapore

[3Boys]

concern2:

3Boys:

There are mechanisms to help with health care costs for the needy, you don't have to chuck out the whole CPF structure to deal with exceptional cases.

Interesting. Exceptional cases. People this age, do they really have CPF?

I am asking the same question myself.

I just feel that the entire article is crafted to manipulate.

[3Boys]

limlim:

3Boys:

[quote=\"limlim\"]
Now..

WHY using medisave to pay for medishield fully

Could you be a little more explicit please? I don't understand this point.

1. Max withdrawal amount is $800/yr only per account. For enhanced medishield, it is not enough to pay for the premiums fully for those older pple, like maybe 70yo and above. (around that age, I can't confirm now).

Withdrawal from one account only. Why can't they allow withdrawal from unlimited child accounts so the next-of-kin can share the costs/burden?

2. Medisave cannot be used to pay for riders to cover deductibles and co-payment.[/quote]Apart from NOK, which I feel if they wished to contribute, should be paying cash rather than from Medisave, otherwise, its just depleting their own accounts and kicking the can down the road, the others are fair ideas.

BUT, its not the same as using CPF to pay directly for medical bills.

[limlim]

3Boys:

I just feel that the entire article is crafted to manipulate.

do not disagree with this..

Afterall, it is done by one party for their political motive or whatever, so I fully agree with you that we should not get too emotional with this article..

However, the fundamental topic still remains..

How to better plan for healthcare costs..

[3Boys]

limlim:

3Boys:

I just feel that the entire article is crafted to manipulate.

do not disagree with this..

Afterall, it is done by one party for their political motive or whatever, so I fully agree with you that we should not get too emotional with this article..

However, the fundamental topic still remains..

How to better plan for healthcare costs..

I actually think the g'ment had screwed up the healthcare financing model a couple of decades ago and are still in recovery mode. If you are a middle-aged working adult today, and are clever about what you do with private insurance and public schemes, you should be ok. But the older generation.....some of them need a lot of help.

[limlim]

3Boys:

BUT, its not the same as using CPF to pay directly for medical bills.

ok ok.. fair enough..

But, maybe less restrictions on medisave for medical expense for the elder pple.. like govt hospitals and polyclinics. As mentioned earlier, medical help should be sough early, so as to minimize possible complications.. I believe, if the person do not suffer discomfort, they wouldn't want to seek medical attention anyway..

If medisave used up, then, should be allowed to use other part of the CPF lor..

I believe, those really in need, would have public assistance scheme to help them already..

As for those who are not here nor there.. allowing them to use CPF for medical treatment would provide them with a better quality living.

If the CPF is depleted, and they have no more money, they may have to resort to assistance scheme, and this may impose a burden on the society.. yes.. but, how likely is it for one to \"squander\" away CPF savings on healthcare? Is there really a big danger of abuse?

[3Boys]

limlim:

but, how likely is it for one to \"squander\" away CPF savings on healthcare? Is there really a big danger of abuse?

We don't know, do we? If its there, people tend to use it. Look at housing, who doesn't use CPF to finance their property? We have to be really careful here and not make knee-jerk decisions.

[Laura02]

I think it’s possible to use medisave for some cosmetic procedures, not to pay for the full treatment, but part of the treatment. Like if you go to hospital for say nose or jaw surgery, some of the expense of staying in hospital can be claimed from medisave. If the govt allows medisave to be used for any medical treatment, than some may unwisely "squander" their medisave on unnecessary cosmetic procedures.

[Strparent]

Sun_2010:

But what pisses me is the article.
Someone walked with the Lims from the poly along the path, watched them pant and struggle for one whole hour , so that he could eloquently write \"forcing the doddering couple in the perilous walk home\", so that he could get their story.

Now what does that say about that slimy b******???

And he talks about how we can avoid such cases in future.

Emotionalizing an issue shows the true intent. When there is such a geniunine case why is there even a need to do this?

Like TV marketing -
See the problem?
Voila we have the perfect solution - yada yada yada... :roll:

I am sick and tired of this dressing up figures, marketing precisely what you want people to see, squeezing the public emphathy factor dry.
Lets just leave that to the multinationals and media and the entertainment industry, shall we?
Nauseating , really! :mad:

Sun2010,

I agree fully about yr comments. This article was designed to create an anti-PAP agenda, my personal opinion. My first thought also same, why did the video guy make the couple walk all over the same 1km ( or thereabouts ) just to drive their point through ? I agree SDP need to re-think their strategy. IT would be so much better for them to go all out in force to help the needy to their best of their abilities, and if they want to highlight their 'actions' so be it.

But as I indicated, my main focus was not about the article, nor the writer, but the real situation that is deepening in our housing estates all over, at least from what I can see.

And I dont agree fully on your view for me, I personally feel I do not do enough, in fact most of us do not. I understand what 3Boys is saying, and I agree with him on the economic sense, but I prefer that all look at it from the empathy sense. We are all the same - Singaporeans, just that we have different lifestyles and born with different spoons.

I love the recent series on http://video.xin.msn.com/watch/video/episode-1/1gq2t3yo9, one lady Ms Yvonne Goh even gave up her mini tai-tai lifestyle to dedicate to help the needy all around Singapore - I try to make my kids watch each episode.

Kudos to these real heroes and heroines. :salute:


[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3Irni_S6go][/youtube]

[Funz]

Do not discount what you have done to help others. If everyone just do that little bit for someone in need. The world will be a much better place. Some people have the means to embark on bigger scale charity work others cannot. Little by little, bit by bit, you can still make a difference. It may not be on a national scale but to those whom you have reached out to help, it means the world to them.

[3Boys]

Strparent:

And I dont agree fully on your view for me, I personally feel I do not do enough, in fact most of us do not. I understand what 3Boys is saying, and I agree with him on the economic sense, but I prefer that all look at it from the empathy sense. We are all the same - Singaporeans, just that we have different lifestyles and born with different spoons.
[/youtube]

There is no class warfare here, we are ALL interested in helping the old couple. Its not empathy versus economics at ALL, its ALL empathy, that's where I am coming from. I'm just saying, please don't go messing with a mechanism that is meant to serve one particular purpose, and doing it ok for most people, just because of a special situation, when there are better ways of dealing with the situation.

That stupid video and write up manipulated the CPF question into the issue when its got nothing to do with CPF, but everything to do with providing a poor elderly couple assistance with their health care needs.

The health care cost situation is not going away, its going to get worse and worse as our population ages, and even rich countries are feeling the pain now. Lets not do one-off quick fix and regret it for the majority of people 20 years from now.

Again, the people who will suffer from sloppy, knee-jerk policy making will be the lao bai xin, the 'elites' don't depend on Medisave or CPF for healthcare or retirement. Is liberalising CPF the answer? Maybe, but lets think about it a little bit before we go hell for leather and DEMAND that it be changed, on limited understanding of effectiveness or impact.