Upon reaching the age of 60, my uncle received a letter from the Automobile Association of Singapore (AAS) informing him that, in appreciation of his many years of support, he will be henceforth entitled to free membership for the rest of his life. If only Medishield Life works like that.
No, Medishield Life makes you pay for the hiked premiums all the way to age 90 and beyond (see Medishield Life Premium Calculator example) - the premium calculator even accepts input from someone born before 1920. The MediShield Life Scheme Bill being rammed through parliament also makes it legal for Ah Kong to be fined $5,000, jailed for up to a year or both, should he run out of cash and defaults on the premium payment.
"The Bill (also) gives the national insurance administrator the same powers as that of the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore to recover unpaid premiums, such as through employers or banks."
Worse, the wide-ranging powers bestowed to the administrator of the MediShield Life Scheme grant them unfettered access to people's income and health status without explicit consent from them. Personal data in Singapore is supposed to be protected under the Personal Data Protection Act 2012 (PDPA). Not so when the law is always malleable to those determined to collect more money. This is what happens when parliament is dominated by one political party.
The wide, some say wild, bordering on berserk, ranging powers are justified by the flaky argument that defaults on premiums will mean a heavier load on other policy holders. Including policy holders who have to pay full premiums even though they are living overseas for extended periods, and won't be in town to enjoy the "enhanced benefits". Friends of ours who have migrated but still hanging on to the red passport will have no choice but to finally burn the bridges.
Tattler
*The writer blogs at http://singaporedesk.blogspot.sg/