Hospital bills up 10% to 30% across all ward classes
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Hospital bills up 10% to 30% across all ward classes
30% increased for class C. so tell me, how does this help the poor?
By Tan Hui Leng, TODAY | Posted: 25 July 2007 1100 hrs
AVERAGE public hospital bills have increased across all ward classes from 2005 to 2006, with the hikes ranging from 10 to 30 per cent.
The Ministry of Health's (MOH) data showed that the average bill size for a class C ward cost $1,112 last year — up 29.6 per cent from $858 the year before.
As for B2 class wards, it went up 17.4 per cent from $1,094 to $1,284.
The higher ward classes of B1 and A registered smaller hikes of 16.7 and 10.3 per cent respectively.
The B1 wards increased from $2,736 to $3,193 and the A wards went up from $3,473 to $3,830.
An MOH spokeswoman attributed the big C-class increases to the inclusion of Intensive Care Unit patients in last year's data, medical inflation and the fact that more patients with complex medical conditions chose to be admitted to C class wards.
In the C class wards, which are 80-per-cent subsidised, 1 per cent of patients paid $9,071 or more — even higher than their counterparts in the B2-class wards, who paid $8,813 or more.
Speaking at the opening of the Wonca (World Organization of Family Doctors) World Conference yesterday, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan described hospital bills here as "relatively inexpensive" for the high medical standards patients are getting.
With Medisave and MediShield, almost all patients can afford these bills, Mr Khaw added.
"The Ministry will continue to manage medical inflation without compromising the quality of patient care," said the MOH spokeswoman. "We will use market forces, where appropriate, to manage medical costs — for example, through publishing bill sizes and quality indicators.
She added: "This will allow Singaporeans to make informed choices on where to seek treatment and provide transparent benchmarks on the comparative efficiency of healthcare providers." - TODAY/ra -
it helps them get poorer.Originally posted by SevenEleven:30% increased for class C. so tell me, how does this help the poor?
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then they can apply for assistance easier
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incidently, the top rung gets 33% increase and the bottom rung gets 30% too
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The people at the top are fair to everybody where money is concerned.Originally posted by SevenEleven:incidently, the top rung gets 33% increase and the bottom rung gets 30% too
Really. -
That's why many people said... we can die in s'pore but cannot be sick in s'pore... So take care folks
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With Medisave and MediShield, almost all patients can afford these bills, Mr Khaw added.
simi lanjiao
they tell u medisave and medishield does not cover this, cover that....in the end still one big sum to pay............. -
Hanor. hanor.Originally posted by FireIce:simi lanjiao
they tell u medisave and medishield does not cover this, cover that....in the end still one big sum to pay............. -
like tat nxt time dun go liao... -
Hehehe......Originally posted by FireIce:simi lanjiao
they tell u medisave and medishield does not cover this, cover that....in the end still one big sum to pay............. -
Don't go die even faster, die already, if you not married no children no parents, they take all your CPF.Originally posted by Aaron8209: like tat nxt time dun go liao... -
Reinforces the oredy common saying: "You can die in Singapore but you cannot fall sick".....!
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The time for discussing the high ministerial salaries has already died a premature death.
Now the premature raising of costs is slowly creeping at an uncontrollable rate.
Whoever did not believe the saying 'everything will raise price after elections' had better slap their own faces.... -
short memories singaporeans had already forgotten them liao. too busy counting the $$$ from en-bloc sales
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actually, i don't mind paying IF i actually get to see the doc...
the story of my slipped disc is amazing..
last year in september, my condition relapsed and i went to get an appointment with the ortho... i was in extreme pain and they said the doc could only see me 4 months later...
i endured that for 2 days until i could not even move.. ended up in the A&E
the A&E doc, after screaming at the ortho, could only get me to see them 2 weeks later...
i finally got some friend of the family for contacts and sought help on my own...
remember.. that was LAST YEAR...
well, 2 weeks ago, i got a letter from the initial hospital.. telling me that my "appointment" (which i cancelled) has been postponed again until next year...
imagine.. if i didn't have contacts, i'd still be waiting with that initial injury one year later to just see the doctor!
for that, we're going to have to pay more! -
Sian... how sia like that... people no money cannot go hospital
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You know why the long wait?Originally posted by the Bear:actually, i don't mind paying IF i actually get to see the doc...
the story of my slipped disc is amazing..
last year in september, my condition relapsed and i went to get an appointment with the ortho... i was in extreme pain and they said the doc could only see me 4 months later...
i endured that for 2 days until i could not even move.. ended up in the A&E
the A&E doc, after screaming at the ortho, could only get me to see them 2 weeks later...
i finally got some friend of the family for contacts and sought help on my own...
remember.. that was LAST YEAR...
well, 2 weeks ago, i got a letter from the initial hospital.. telling me that my "appointment" (which i cancelled) has been postponed again until next year...
imagine.. if i didn't have contacts, i'd still be waiting with that initial injury one year later to just see the doctor!
for that, we're going to have to pay more!
Because of shortage of doctors.
You know why there is a shortage of doctors?
Because government controls the amount of potential doctors going into the medical faculty.
The shortage of doctors led to a higher cost and longer wait for medical services.
Anything that is controlled and in scarcity will lead to increase in prices, not to mention inefficient use of medical resources. -
and the doctors get so overworked, they migrate or go into private practise... causing an even more acute shortage..Originally posted by maurizio13:You know why the long wait? Because of shortage of doctors.
You know why there is a shortage of doctors? Because government controls the amount of potential doctors going into the medical faculty.
The shortage of doctors led to a higher cost and longer wait for medical services. -
We haven't been using our hospital medical equipment efficiently as well, some of these high end medical equipment are only made of like 2-3 days per week.Originally posted by the Bear:and the doctors get so overworked, they migrate or go into private practise... causing an even more acute shortage..
Government shouldn't regulate the potential medical undergraduates too much, their restrictions causes shortage of doctors, which increase prices of basic healthcare. -
well, hey.. the gabrament wants to try to fix it.. with the only way they know how.. by increasing the cost
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I wonder if anyone has stopped to consider how much worse the situation is going to become when the population hits the projected 6 million mark...
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we have...
we expect people like me to have to go out of the country to get medical treatmentOriginally posted by Meia Gisborn:I wonder if anyone has stopped to consider how much worse the situation is going to become when the population hits the projected 6 million mark... -
that is very true, gahmen controls the number of doctors, control not only going to the medicine faculty,but gahmen also control by setting quota on the intake of doctors to the different specialty. It is the gahmen's doing that let to shortage of doctors, they are the cause of it, so why keep telling public shortage of doctors. Blame themselves for the shortage. So ironic!!! It is like giving themselves slap on their faces and then tell the public they have been slapped. Crap!Originally posted by maurizio13:You know why the long wait?
Because of shortage of doctors.
You know why there is a shortage of doctors?
Because government controls the amount of potential doctors going into the medical faculty.
The shortage of doctors led to a higher cost and longer wait for medical services.
Anything that is controlled and in scarcity will lead to increase in prices, not to mention inefficient use of medical resources. -
for that slap, they want a 33% increase in payOriginally posted by qlqq9:that is very true, gahmen controls the number of doctors, control not only going to the medicine faculty,but gahmen also control by setting quota on the intake of doctors to the different specialty. It is the gahmen's doing that let to shortage of doctors, they are the cause of it, so why keep telling public shortage of doctors. Blame themselves for the shortage. So ironic!!! It is like giving themselves slap on their faces and then tell the public they have been slapped. Crap!
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LOLOriginally posted by FireIce:simi lanjiao
they tell u medisave and medishield does not cover this, cover that....in the end still one big sum to pay.............