Han Fook Kwang politely asked a few questions in his column with the title, ‘Insurers should treat customers better’. He just received a notice by his insurer that the premium for his medical insurance would be doubled to keep pace with the changing landscape of medical insurance. The Medishield Life, before even being implemented, is already showing its true colours and claiming its first casualty. Everyone, got money no money, life worth living or unworthy of living, healthy or unhealthy, young and old, there is no where to run. Get your cash ready to pay and pay for your medical insurance.
Han Fook Kwang wants the insurers to explain why should be the premium be raised and doubled. He expects a little civility like informing the payers and talking to the payers. He only asked to be treated better.
Wait a moment, is he compelled to pay for his private medical insurance? In a way, since he has been paying for several years and changing an insurer is not the convenient thing to do so for people with the money to pay. His main worry is the road ahead. How often would this doubling of premiums be done as he ages and when he retires and there is no income? He theoretically has another 30 years to pay and each doubling of premiums can be awesome. And mind you, Han Fook Kwang is no ordinary average Sinkie. If he is concerned, the average Sinkies with no sayings, no jobs and no income are going to have an interesting time paying for compulsory Medishield Life. They can avoid the private insurers but not the one that would use the law to force them to buy insurance and to pay for it.
Now the bigger question, can anyone, even the govt, force the people to buy and pay a life time of insurance premiums? Do the people have a choice not to buy medical insurance? They are people who do not wish to live another day longer and a medical condition is welcomed to take them out of the drudgery of a meaningless and moneyless life.
Han Fook Kwang asked the rights of the insurers to suka suka raise premiums. But he has a choice to stop his medical policy if the price is not right. Do the rest of the people have the choice to say no? Why are the people being force to pay against their will for something they do not want?
Did the people vote for a govt to compel them to buy medical insurance for life, for a life not worth living and when they don’t have any income or savings to pay for?
Does anyone see anything wrong with this concept of forcing people to buy medical insurance? Next time they may even force you to buy your coffin beforehand or pay for your cremation and a place at the columbarium.
This is the only country where an elected govt, not a dictatorship mind you, could suka suka decide how to spend the people’s money, to compel them to buy things that they did not want or wish to. And it thinks it has the right to do so. Anyone understand the meaning of daylight robbery?
I think it is kind of a habit. When the people get used to it, when the govt gets used to it, it becomes a new normal, to make things compulsory for the people to pay. Not paying becomes an offence or a crime. All those who cannot pay will become automatic criminals, violators of the law.
Chua Chin Leng AKA Redbean
*The writer blogs at http://mysingaporenews.blogspot.com/