Whacked with MediShield Life Premium

[Strong Eagle]

As a PR, I just got whacked for an $800+ MediShield Life premium. This allegedly is insurance for hospital stays in Singapore... https://www.moh.gov.sg/content/moh_web/ ... -life.html

But, as most of you know, I am long gone from the red dot. I've been searching but cannot find anything about who has to pay.

Does anyone have information or links?

TIA

[x9200]

I'd expect as long as you are a PR you have to pay it. I have a private insurance (GH) that covers all my expenses, plus I have another one with my employer so I was looking for the same, whether there are any exception. Found nothing. A complete waste of money. It must be a form of tax to support the local insuring industry or recover the money they earlier "gave" within some tax rebates. I think it's a shame how they organized it. If the wanted the nany-state enforced protection they should have exempted those who are already sufficiently covered.

[Strong Eagle]

I'd expect as long as you are a PR you have to pay it. I have a private insurance (GH) that covers all my expenses, plus I have another one with my employer so I was looking for the same, whether there are any exception. Found nothing. A complete waste of money. It must be a form of tax to support the local insuring industry or recover the money they earlier "gave" within some tax rebates. I think it's a shame how they organized it. If the wanted the nany-state enforced protection they should have exempted those who are already sufficiently covered.

However, you are in Singapore and entitled to use your MediShield funds for hospital stays and various other medical procedures.

I am not in Singapore and can receive no benefit from this policy... and if I recall, I did not have to pay under the old scheme.

[Strong Eagle]

I have to laugh... I am on hold with CPF... I keep getting a repeated message...every 30 seconds in fact... "We're sorry, all our officers are currently engaged, please text your phone number to blah blah blah and we will return you call the next day, and if not, within two working days.

How weird is that?

[BBCWatcher]

The site you linked to has rather complete information. Every PR and every citizen is part of MediShield Life. There are no exceptions.

Note that you can pay premiums from Medisave funds, and there are various subsidies (up to full subsidy) for those who genuinely cannot afford to pay.

If you don't want MediShield Life then you would have to terminate PR (or citizenship) status. It's a package deal. It's a reasonable one since that's how insurance works: you would run back to Singapore the moment you have a serious medical condition to enjoy your MediShield Life coverage. If you don't want that insurance protection, no problem: terminate your ability to run back to Singapore.

[earthfriendly]

I have not researched what this medishield is all about. On a overseas Singaporean FB, someone tried to contact the govt about opting out as her family no longer resides in SG. But no luck. Methink, the rationale being one day the person may end up needing / using when she is on SG soil. She did not get much of a response from them.

For people living overseas, they are already paying a (big, if you are in US and developed countries) medical premium. Perhaps, they should be a little flexible and only allow benefits after participating in the plan for minimum number of years. However, in order to make it affordable for the whole nation, they will need to have economy of scale and need to ensure the largest pool of participants. If the pool is too small, it kindof defeats the purpose. Right? The national healthcare system will not be self-sustaining.

May I ask is the $800 amount per person? Per month / year?

[adeline.35]

Per person per year

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[Strong Eagle]

It's a reasonable one since that's how insurance works: you would run back to Singapore the moment you have a serious medical condition to enjoy your MediShield Life coverage.

It's bullshit... I'll not " run back to Singapore the moment you have a serious medical condition to enjoy your MediShield Life coverage." I have far better coverage in the USA and would gladly sign a document that I will never use Singapore health facilities subsidized by the gahmen.

I'm well aware that it comes out of Medisave... that's what pisses me off... they give me my annual four percent... AFTER they have deducted the MediShield premium...

It is a forced participation policy... probably pisses off Singaporeans everywhere... even USA Medicare doesn't pull this kind of crap.

And yes... I'm getting ready to renounce my PR and collect CPF funds... mainly because the exchange rate of SGD to USD continues to go to hell in a handbasket.

[x9200]

I'd expect as long as you are a PR you have to pay it. I have a private insurance (GH) that covers all my expenses, plus I have another one with my employer so I was looking for the same, whether there are any exception. Found nothing. A complete waste of money. It must be a form of tax to support the local insuring industry or recover the money they earlier "gave" within some tax rebates. I think it's a shame how they organized it. If the wanted the nany-state enforced protection they should have exempted those who are already sufficiently covered.

However, you are in Singapore and entitled to use your MediShield funds for hospital stays and various other medical procedures.

I am not in Singapore and can receive no benefit from this policy... and if I recall, I did not have to pay under the old scheme.

If you are still PR, you can always return or fly in and use the benefits so I guess it makes no difference from their perspective.

[Strong Eagle]

May I ask is the $800 amount per person? Per month / year?

$815 for me per year, extracted from MediSave immediately before yearly interest calculation, $755 for the wife.

[earthfriendly]

It would be quite a yearly expense, moreso if whole family unit is involved. May just push some to give up their PR / citizenship.

[earthfriendly]

Without sufficient enrollment, the system will not work.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/201 ... /76040322/

[BBCWatcher]

It's bullshit... I'll not " run back to Singapore the moment you have a serious medical condition to enjoy your MediShield Life coverage." I have far better coverage in the USA and would gladly sign a document that I will never use Singapore health facilities subsidized by the gahmen.

Yes, you can. That's called signing a document to terminate your PR status (or citizenship, as applicable). That's how you prevent reentering Singapore to live and work...or be sick.

It is a forced participation policy... probably pisses off Singaporeans everywhere... even USA Medicare doesn't pull this kind of crap.

No, but Medicaid and SSI do, and if you're destitute and sick you can indeed "run back home" to Medicaid, including long-term nursing home care. U.S. persons (at relatively high incomes anyway) are potentially subject to U.S. taxation, so there is funding of these programs from overseas Americans -- about 6% of them anyway.

It's a reasonable argument. This is not something you can credibly sign away selectively. If you want the rights and privileges associated with a particular citizenship or immigration status, the responsibilities and obligations are part of the deal. And countries periodically recalibrate that package deal, hopefully via democratic governance. There is some logic here, and it's reasonable.

I should add that some countries might provide some foreign tax preferences for these premiums. For example, under the U.S. tax code if you itemize medical expenses, and those medical expenses are greater than 7% of your income (as I recall), then you get a tax deduction for those expenses. MediShield Life premiums should qualify as a deductible medical expense in this sense, although obviously you'd have to read the IRS's instructions. Other foreign tax systems may be similar. This is probably not a deductible/creditable foreign tax for purposes of taking a foreign tax credit, though.

[Strong Eagle]

Ya know, BBCWatcher... you're a rather irritating pedant.

[earthfriendly]

Making healthcare universal is an unsurmontable challenge for every govt in the world. It not only cost money but it is expensive. It is depressing to see the less able in our society suffer because they can't pay up. But then, their inability to pay also mean I have to work harder and make more money just to help cover their healthcare. And that also depress me. So how?

In the end, it is not possible to make healthcare available to everyone. But what we can do is to keep the cost as low as possible. Adopt a more DIY approach and only go to the doctor when absolutely necessary.