REACH (Telegram) 28 - What are your views on MOH's moves to enhance healthcare subsidies to improve healthcare affordability?

(SK)

02 Oct 2024 (10am - 7pm)

REACH (Telegram)

REACH Singapore, [2/10/2024 9:45 AM]

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REACH Singapore, [2/10/2024 10:01 AM]

📢Topic📢

From 1 Oct, up to 1.1 million Singapore residents will benefit from higher healthcare subsidies at public hospitals, specialist clinics and for MediShield Life premiums. 

Health Minister Ong Ye Kung announced on 30 Sept that subsidies will be extended to people from households with higher incomes. Subsidy rates for community hospitals and palliative care will also be raised to match those at acute hospitals. 

💬What are your views on MOH's moves to enhance healthcare subsidies to improve healthcare affordability?

📌REVISED MONTHLY PER CAPITA HOUSEHOLD INCOME (PCHI) THRESHOLDS

The monthly PCHI means-testing threshold for each subsidy tier will be raised by $100 to $800. This means more Singapore residents will qualify for higher subsidies. For example: 

a. The PCHI for the highest MediShield Life health insurance premium subsidy will go up from $1,200 to $1,500. 

b. The PCHI for the Community Health Asist Scheme (CHAS) Blue card will be raised from $1,200 to $1,500. 

c. The PCHI for the maximum subsidies for drugs will be increased from $2,000 to $2,300. 

📌ENHANCED COMMUNITY HOSPITAL SUBSIDIES

The community hospital inpatient subsidies will be aligned with that of acute hospitals. With the enhanced subsidies, Singapore Citizens will minimally receive subsidies of 50%, up from the current 30%. 

📌ENHANCED PALLIATIVE CARE SUBSIDIES

Similarly, all Singaporeans will receive subsidies of at least 50% regardless of their monthly PCHI. The qualifying PCHI for the highest subsidy will be raised from $800 to $2,100. 

From 1 Dec, the list of subsidised diagnostic services at community hospitals will also be progressively expanded and eventually align with those at acute hospitals.

👉 https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/up-to-11m-singapore-residents-will-receive-higher-healthcare-subsidies-from-oct-1-ong-ye-kung

👉 https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/ministry-health-higher-subsidies-oct-1-community-acute-hospitals-4649061

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Adam, [2/10/2024 10:07 AM]

If everyone get it, where is the money coming from?

REACH Singapore, [2/10/2024 11:00 AM]

[ Poll : Are the increases in subsidies effective in helping Singaporeans manage healthcare costs in the short to medium term? ]

- The increase in subsidies will be effective.

- The increase in subsidies will be somewhat effective. More can be done (pls share your views below)

- The increase in subsidies will be ineffective. A lot more can be done (pls share your views below)

G, [2/10/2024 11:02 AM]

Instead of always trying to "show that they care" by increasing subsidies, what's this 4G PAP doing to keep costs low so that subsidies are not needed in the first place?

Subsidies mean it's tax payer funded. Don't want tax to keep increasing and thus increasing cost of living

REACH Singapore, [2/10/2024 11:07 AM]

Dear Contributors,

Please take a moment to participate in our polls and share your opinion. The poll questions are pinned for easy reference, and your vote is anonymous.

We look forward to hearing your thoughts on today’s topic!

Thank you.

Megan 😊

REACH Singapore, [2/10/2024 12:16 PM]

Dear Contributors,

We want to HEAR MORE from you!

💬 What are your views on MOH's moves to enhance healthcare subsidies to improve healthcare affordability?

We have had good feedback from this group, and we hope that we can keep the discussion robust and active! 

Do also share your opinion by participating in our polls! The poll questions are pinned for easy reference, and your vote is anonymous.

Thank you!

Megan 😊

Adam, [2/10/2024 1:05 PM]

The thing is, the understanding is we contribute to our own healthcare. Maybe we can call it a social compact. We can see this in medisave. We contribute to our medisave through our working adult lives so that we can pay for our own health cost when we need it most, ie when old.

Lets say we have new program. We can assume we will have to pay more tax for this. Every working person has to. Palliative seems to be a focus point. Did the ones who benefit most contribute to new shared cost in their working years? How about people who are irresponsible through smoking or diet? Am also subsidizing through taxes? When the population pytamid becomes inverted who is gonna pay to the system or is the new generation of singaporeans gonna support us?

There is a reason why we have to pay at least a bit to prevent buffet syndrome. The gov has to think why our healthcare is so expensive. Is it supply of docs? Drug companies overchaging?

Adam, [2/10/2024 1:09 PM]

Why is medisave insufficient? Is the growth of our medisave being massively outpaced by hralthcare inflation? Perhaps we need to rethink hiw its handled.

Jun Ming, [2/10/2024 1:11 PM]

I don't have medisheild life

Adam, [2/10/2024 1:11 PM]

Isnt it mandatory?

Jun Ming, [2/10/2024 1:12 PM]

I think I only have the basic medi shield

Adam, [2/10/2024 1:13 PM]

Yeah thats what we all have

Jun Ming, [2/10/2024 1:16 PM]

My yearly premium is about 200+

Adam, [2/10/2024 1:16 PM]

Supposedly this subsidy is external to medishield premium

Adam, [2/10/2024 1:16 PM]

That means its paid through taxes, not premium

Adam, [2/10/2024 1:17 PM]

As premiums are based on age band it means the older generation gets the most benefits while the working age funds the subsidies

LCL (Danny 心), [2/10/2024 1:27 PM]

1. I observe the healthcare from effective versus ineffective angle.

2. Effective healthcare is not very cheap as oppose to cheap but not very effective treatment.

3. Nowadays I notice that survival rate for patients are very high, even very critical illness such as stroke, cancer, heart disease and other critical illnesses.

Patients can survive to very old age up to more than 90 over years old.

But treatment is not that cheap.

4. In the earlier days, treatment are cheaper, but on average, the lifespan is about 60 years plus, most cannot survive those critical illness. 

People who can live up to 70 years old are few and far in between.

5. This is the difference between effective versus non-effective treatment that come cheap.

LCL (Danny 心), [2/10/2024 1:31 PM]

1. I notice that rich people from neighbouring countries are willing to fork out alot of money to get treatment in Singapore because of our advanced Medicare treatment, good doctors and medical research for serious and critical illnesses.

And the recovery rate is high.

2. My relatives from neighbouring countries told me so.

For critical illnesses, they rather sought treatment in Singapore, and the survival rate are higher.

Jun Ming, [2/10/2024 1:32 PM]

Effective health care can be cheap if you 治未病

Jun Ming, [2/10/2024 1:32 PM]

If the sickness is mild and get it cure it can be very cheap

LCL (Danny 心), [2/10/2024 1:33 PM]

If mild, go for cheaper treatment.

Jun Ming, [2/10/2024 1:33 PM]

And if you do 养生in the very young age the chances of getting sick is less

Jun Ming, [2/10/2024 1:34 PM]

That's why I feel that gov should put more effort in preventing and 养生

Adam, [2/10/2024 1:34 PM]

The type of illness these subsidies are for isnt for your average cold

Adam, [2/10/2024 1:34 PM]

PALLIATIVE CARE

Adam, [2/10/2024 1:35 PM]

These is subsidies to extend and support terminally ill's life until they die

Jun Ming, [2/10/2024 1:35 PM]

With so many insurance outside right especially early critical illness package I wonder what is the difference between medisheild and ecI

G, [2/10/2024 1:36 PM]

I do think the drug companies overcharging may play a significant role. 

MNCs are known to charge countries according to how much they think they can squeeze out of that country. e.g. football on TV, covid jabs etc.

What would be unacceptable is that SG already open the legs to get pharma companies to set up manufacturing plants in Tuas. So the drug manufacturing is already in the country. If this leads to increased drug prices to our MOH system, it's quite stupid isn't it?

Then what for get these pharma companies here?

Adam, [2/10/2024 1:37 PM]

So why is the gov making this in the form of subsidies instead of insurance? Because the demographic simply cant afford the insurance. They have to get the demographic who are at the prime of their life pay into the system

Adam, [2/10/2024 1:37 PM]

This will not be sustainable with our declining birthrate and will squeeze our young over time

Jun Ming, [2/10/2024 1:40 PM]

I  heard that doc needs to listen to drugs company when prescribing medicine idk if it is true

Jun Ming, [2/10/2024 1:41 PM]

I don't even sure if doctor knows what is inside the medicine to control the sickness

Jun Ming, [2/10/2024 1:43 PM]

Cause I always see doctor changing medicine. Especially high blood pressure

G, [2/10/2024 1:43 PM]

Yes. Pharma sales direct to doctors is quite a market in SG. Furthermore one of the most convenient things doctors can do upkeep their license is to attend "events" hosted by these very pharma companies whereby they share more about their drugs

G, [2/10/2024 1:51 PM]

We give pharma MNCs tax breaks to set up their manufacturing facilities in SG.

If they overcharge us for drugs for our national healthcare system, requiring us to raise taxes so that subsidies can be raised to make healthcare more affordable for everyone, then why not just remove the tax breaks from these pharma companies and make them pay their fair share so that healthcare remains affordable?

G, [2/10/2024 1:53 PM]

This brings about the question: is it still profitable if the medicine actually healed someone from disease, or will it be profitable if the medicine makes someone dependent on the medicine?

G, [2/10/2024 1:53 PM]

A patient cured is a customer lost

Jun Ming, [2/10/2024 1:54 PM]

So medicine should not be associate with business

Jun Ming, [2/10/2024 1:57 PM]

My teacher in TCM college says last time doctors are 道医，儒医 now is 商医

REACH Singapore, [2/10/2024 2:01 PM]

📢Topic📢

Jun Ming, [2/10/2024 2:01 PM]

As doctors should be ultra smart people that not only take care of patients health but also patients pockets

G, [2/10/2024 2:01 PM]

TCM doesn't have this maximising profit for shareholder mentality, which is good 👍

G, [2/10/2024 2:03 PM]

Where got.. Many doctors go into the profession because they can make big money for themselves what. They take care of their own pockets first. So many parents in the past (and even today too) want their kids to become doctors so that they can be rich

Also, why else why you see so many aesthetic doctors nowadays?

Wee Seng Koh, [2/10/2024 2:26 PM]

Views on MOH’s moves to enhance healthcare subsidies to improve healthcare affordability.

- subsidies are important not just for the below median pay group, but across for all. Particularly extending the needs to community hospitals and palliative care. These are concrete evidence from early this year’s budget announcement. 

- this is for Singaporeans and Singaporeans only, and this is the most important.

Nicholas, [2/10/2024 2:29 PM]

Do healthcare prices need to be so high? Is there a team looking into how to reduce healthcare prices for the end consumer?

REACH Singapore, [2/10/2024 3:01 PM]

Dear Contributors,

Please take a moment to participate in our polls and share your opinion. The poll questions are pinned for easy reference, and your vote is anonymous.

We look forward to hearing your thoughts on today’s topic!

Thank you.

Megan 😊

LCL (Danny 心), [2/10/2024 3:42 PM]

1. Higher subsidies applying to higher income as well as middle and lower income for healthcare is a welcome move.

2. Because higher income group also subject to :-

a. higher inflation that deplete their take home pay.

b. higher income group also face more headwinds in tech and business disruptors like the middle and lower income group - when retrenchment can be quite sudden.

c. higher income group contribute to the largest part of taxes to Singapore government budget - and most middle and lower income group benefit from it. 

Hence, subsidies extended to help the higher income group when they need healthcare intervention in addition to middle and lower income group is morally sound - in an all inclusive policy when the government can afford it.

3. I support this healthcare policy.

LCL (Danny 心), [2/10/2024 5:27 PM]

https://www.straitstimes.com/business/companies-markets/samsung-to-cut-thousands-of-jobs-some-in-singapore-amid-struggles-in-ai-market

LCL (Danny 心), [2/10/2024 5:28 PM]

Dyson conducts 'surprise' layoffs in Singapore, leaving employees in shock and in 'low morale'.

The retrenchment exercise on Tuesday (Oct 1) was conducted “very discreetly”, with employees unsure how many were laid off.                                                                                                                               https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/dyson-singapore-layoffs-retrench-job-cuts-4651606

LCL (Danny 心), [2/10/2024 5:29 PM]

See job market not very rosy.

High income can suddenly become no income.

So subsidies must be inclusive to include the high income - because sudden retrenchment can happen.

Nicholas, [2/10/2024 5:35 PM]

While it is good that subsidies are given, in order to prevent runaway inflation of healthcare cost, a team should be setup to look into cost cutting / productivity enhancing measures to bring cost down within hospitals. Also look into how to shorten waiting times. For example, why is the queue months long to see an eye specialist at a government hospital, when there is no lack of eye specialists (queue is less than 1-hour in private clinics).

REACH Singapore, [2/10/2024 6:01 PM]

📢Topic📢

Adam, [2/10/2024 6:43 PM]

The fallacy of higher income. The highest WEALTH in sg does not have to be higher income. With policies like these the workers will get squeezed. Unless the gov does something that drives away investment

REACH Singapore, [2/10/2024 6:47 PM]

Dear Contributors,

⏰ We will be closing the chat in 15 minutes ⏰

Thank you very much for being part of our Telegram chat and participating actively.

Goodnight!

Megan 😊

REACH Singapore, [2/10/2024 7:00 PM]

Dear Contributors

We will be closing the chat for today.

Thank you very much for being part of our Telegram chat and participating actively.

Goodnight!

Megan 😊

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