Tan Kin Lian's Blog: Medishield - MOH misinterpreted my suggestion

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Medishield - MOH misinterpreted my suggestion

This letter was printed in the Strait Times a week ago. In its reply, the Ministry of Health mis-interpreted my suggestion. I have written a further letter to the Straits Times to clarify this matter.

I had asked the Ministry to contact me on my suggestion. They did not. This has caused them to mis-interpret my suggestion. It is quite sad that our civil servants and leaders continue to decide on important matters without seeking clarification or engaging the public.

7 comments:

dsowerg said...: Mr Tan, this tactic is probably deliberate. It's called Missing The Point. Very common within the civil service / statutory boards when they don't want to or cannot address your points head-on.; September 22, 2009 11:21 AM
Anonymous said...: I wrote to my town council to complain on stagnant water found on service road at covered linkway connecting MSCP to the nearest block.

Town council replied me saying they have checked the road gradient and found it to be ok.

I wrote back to town council saying that it was in fact the pot hole on the road that caused the stagnant water due to poor compaction of road base (in other words, poor workmanship by the contractor or poor supervision by HDB project staff).

Town council never write back to me after that. So no more reply means can act blur? Hopefully the person who complain has a short memory and as a result, he will vote for PAP again?

Town council staff, a civil servant deliberately forgets that his job as its name implies, is to serve the people, the taxpayers who are his paymaster?; September 22, 2009 2:25 PM
Anonymous said...: People with no Medishield covered may seek lower cost of medical treatment in neighbourhood countries.; September 23, 2009 8:06 AM
LinCH said...: I agree that Medishield should not operate like commercial insurance. There should be less underwriting. Its low premium is dependent on the fact that Medishield is a scheme mainly for serious and costly illnesses. It should not be dependent on a base of healthy individuals.

There should be another opportunity for those born before December 2007 who had missed out on the scheme to join Medishield without underwriting. After all, since December 2007, all new-borns are automatically covered unless their parents opt out. Before this, there had not been enough publicity to inform parents that their new-borns can be registered for Medishield . Not surprisingly, many are left out due to oversight or ignorance.

I suggest a cut-off age at 30 years old be considered to extend Medishield without underwriting to those who had missed out since those who are younger are generally free from illnesses. Those who are older should not be left out. They can be included with some underwriting.; September 25, 2009 10:24 AM
Anonymous said...: Medishield insurance under CPF original started as an national medical insurance scheme for all singaporeans, and objectively to arrest the high medical cost which is escalation year after year, and also to smoothen the medical insurance premium charged by other insurance companies.

Then, due to management reasons it was ported over to other insurance companies with extended medical insurance coverage for those who wish to have higher medical insruance benefits. However, seems that its premium is gradually increasing.

However, the basic medishield insurance scheme under CPF for the majority of elderly who have lesser amount of medisave fund should perferably be kept at lower premium, and should not be profit making, and this is meant as National Medical Insurance Scheme.

But, under the basic scheme those patients who stay at lowest ward C and B2( 6 bedded ward without aircon) still have to fork out Cash-from-pocket an amount of $1000 to $1500 as deductiable plus co-insurance amount.I feel that this is too excessive.

When you view the basic scheme with the neighbouring basic medical (lowest) entitlement facility for their citizens as comparison, our cost is still very far above the level.

Hoping that our Basic Medishield scheme would be restructured for the benefits of the majority lower income citizens.; September 27, 2009 12:15 PM
Anonymous said...: "It is quite sad that our civil servants and leaders continue to decide on important matters without seeking clarification or engaging the public." Mr Tan, I cannot agree with you more. I'm from the healthcare industry, and it disturbs me that MOH will sometimes release info to public without getting a concensus from the profession first.; September 28, 2009 5:14 PM
LinCH said...: I think if Medishield is made available to all without underwriting, it would not add much to the cost since there is now already a process whereby every newborn is included unless the parent opts out. The fact that Medishield has started offering to all newborns automatic coverage shows we are ready to accept an inclusive medical insurance for all which does not exclude pre-existing illnesses.

Actually, some people opt out because they are excluded from certain illnesses. So if you really want the rest of the 16% to join Medisave, you have to exclude them from underwriting.

Surely, if citizens feel society is more compassionate and if they feel more assured that medical bills can be managed, they are more likely to produce more babies.; September 28, 2009 8:28 PM