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https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/more-spending-on-healthcare-does-not-mean-a-healthier-population-ong-ye-kung SINGAPORE - The Republic’s healthcare challenge in the coming years is not spending more, but to ensure that Singapore does not go the way of many OECD countries where healthcare costs are “spiralling and escalating out of control”, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung told Parliament on Wednesday. Better health outcomes can be achieved by continuing with Singapore’s sensible and practical approach of having different layers of safety nets – subsidies, MediShield Life, MediSave and MediFund – and combining it with the Healthier SG strategy to reduce the sickness and disease burden even as the population ages, he added. Mr Ong was responding to Progress Singapore Party (PSP) Non-Constituency MP Leong Mun Wai’s assertion on Tuesday that the Government has not spent enough to cover Singaporeans’ healthcare costs, and should be spending more to help with medical bills. Mr Leong had cited data to show that the Government’s share of healthcare expenditure is lower than the average among Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. The majority of the 38 OECD members are regarded as developed countries. Mr Ong noted that it is widely accepted by health economists that spending more on healthcare does not mean better outcomes. For instance, the United States and Britain spend about 17 per cent and 10 per cent of their gross domestic product on healthcare respectively, compared with Singapore’s 4 per cent. Despite this, both those countries are facing a high incidence of chronic illnesses and high obesity rates, and expected lifespans there are lower than in Singapore, he said. Conversely, Singapore has delivered good outcomes given how much it is spending, while keeping healthcare affordable for the middle- and lower-income groups, Mr Ong added. Seven in 10 Singaporeans in subsidised hospital wards do not pay any out-of-pocket expenses, and nine in 10 pay less than $500 in cash. “So when Mr Leong asked the Government to spend more to lower out-of-pocket expenses further, he really meant to channel resources to unsubsidised patients, that is, those staying in A class wards or private hospitals,” he said. “This is where the big bucks and big expenditure are, and it will push our healthcare expenditure and spending to the levels of OECD countries.” Mr Leong also failed to mention that such spending ultimately has to be raised from the people through taxes, and made no mention of where PSP will get the funding from, Mr Ong added. The reality is that government healthcare spending has already been rising, having tripled between 2011 and 2020, and is expected to triple again between 2021 and 2030, said Mr Ong. Mr Leong had also called for increased spending from the Pioneer Generation (PG) and Merdeka Generation funds, as he felt that spending from those funds has been small relative to their total assets. This understanding is misplaced as both funds were sized based on the projected lifetime cost of the benefits, said Mr Ong. He noted that PG members are as young as 74 and “still have quite a bit of runway ahead of them”, though the Government will continue to review the adequacy of both funds. The Health Minister also responded to Workers’ Party MP Jamus Lim’s suggestion that Singapore’s medical infrastructure is too lean, and that the current hospital bed crunch speaks to a need to relook healthcare capacity. Mr Ong said every country is facing a similar crunch post-Covid-19, including the OECD countries despite their higher bed-to-population ratio. The reason for the bed crunch here is that the average length of hospital stay has increased by 15 per cent compared with before the pandemic, he said. This is likely a result of more older people falling ill due to an “immunity debt” as safe management measures were lifted, a problem exacerbated by poorer health from social isolation amid Covid-19. Singapore is catching up on healthcare capacity as projects delayed by Covid-19 – such as the Tan Tock Seng Hospital Integrated Care Hub and Woodlands integrated health campus – are now being completed, said Mr Ong. More transitional care facilities will also be set up to offer rehabilitative care for more stable senior patients. Closing the debate on the motion to support healthcare here beyond the pandemic, Nominated MP Tan Yia Swam responded to Mr Leong’s charge that drug prices were “marked up unreasonably for non-subsidised patients” in order to cross-subsidise others. Dr Tan, who is a breast surgeon, asked if Mr Leong had evidence that this was happening, and noted that non-subsidised patients are those who opt for an A-class or B1-class ward, or foreigners. “I, as a doctor, would think that allowing market forces to determine costings is fair, or would Mr Leong also want taxpayers to pay for everyone?” she asked. Mr Leong said he had heard “feedback from residents (that) they pay different prices when in different classes”, and that while it is understandable for services to be priced differently based on ward class, this should not be the case for drugs. The NCMP had earlier called on the Government to centralise drug procurement across public and private medical institutions, as doing so would reduce the cost of medicine. In response, Mr Ong said Singapore deliberately chose to have a variegated market for healthcare, with private-sector doctors having different business models. For instance, some private doctors charge very low consultation fees but make a margin on the drugs they sell, while others do the reverse, he said. “Sometimes you want to let market forces operate, but at the same time have some discipline through... what we subsidise and what we don’t, and I think that’s how we rein in unnecessary healthcare costs,” said Mr Ong.

Increase of taxes, as country is more developed. Though a citizen of a higher tax bracket status, I do encourage to the gov to tax more on the rich, while maintaining those who are at the mid or lower tier tax brackets. This is a way to contribute back to the country. Taxes Must increase for social spending

Pet owners appear to be spending more on furry companions, going by the business at the shops and farms. Shop owners said customers are willing to pay more for the premium breeds, compared to five years ago. They are also prepared to spend more on grooming and veterinary fees. The Holland Lops, Miniature Lion Lops and Netherland Dwarf rabbits do not come cheap. Pet shop owners said some of the more exotic breeds cost between S$800 and S$1,000. One of the rabbits is touted as a champion at a rabbit show in the US, and comes with a price tag of S$8,000. According to pet shop owners, interest in these American-imported rabbit breeds began two years ago. Pet owners are also splurging on pet care, with some prepared to pay up to S$10,000 for surgery. Eric Lim, director of Ericsson Pet Farm, said: "Spending on animals has increased a lot. Like for example, in those days, they're willing to spend S$1,000 to S$2,000 on a dog. But today, people can spend up to S$10,000 on the dogs." Dr Jason Teo E-Shen, a veterinary surgeon, said: "They treat their pets as part of their family and are willing to go all the way. I think the newer generation is more educated. They do know a lot more about animals and they are willing to come down to consult a doctor when there is a problem." Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/sin...1205341/1/.html

Hi all. End of 2012 is ard the corner and we are about to welcome 2013. So how are u going to celebrate NYE? :)

i noticed quite a fair bit of bros here are JB regulars including myself.. otherwise my observations from the onemotoring camera cant be wrong .. alwalys packed and jammed each weekend. I like to see how much are we contributing to the JB economy .. cus everytime i go will spend at least RM 200-300 depending on my purpose eg top up fuel , groceries, servicing car and makan etc.. On average i spend around RM$ 800-1000 per mth in Msia. A show of hands who spend monthly and on what? 1) < RM$1K 2) RM1-2K 3) > RM$2K

One thing I don't like about our budget is the defence spending. 25% of our budget. For what??? And the stupid retired general still say EVERY CENT we spend in SAF is WORTH IT. What is he smoking??? I was recalled for my first reservist last year at age 36. I was a clerk during NS. My reservist unit is wargame center. They called around 50 of us, and most of us are 36 years old, first time reservist. Call us back for one week to do what? teach us how to use a stupid wargame simulation program and press button for the SAF trainees. So our reservist is first 3 days training how to use program which can be done in 1day. most of the time is spent idling.... Then the last 2 days, the trainess come in, then it is like a big wayang exercise. Play computer game like that. For that they recalled fifty 36 year olds and paid our companies one week of our wages. I don't understand why they don't call those young reservist who has just started their careers and probably cost much less. OR a better solution is ask those SAF trainees to spend one more day learning how to press the mouse themselves. I bet their pay is much less than a normal 36 year old. It is totally not cost efficient. It is like spending money because if I don't, next year my budget get cut. It is crazy. Just to save the SAF trainees one day of their time, they are willing to pay the same number of 36 year old reservists ONE WEEK of pay just to train us, so we can run the programs for them. How wasteful can you be? I am curious about the experience of other bros here who are in perhaps operation ready units. How "wasteful" or "frugal" is your SAF unit?

Will you or your GF/wifey spend 136k to look like that? Well if you have the cash.... Just glad mine won't [sweatdrop] From STOMP: http://singaporeseen.stomp.com.sg/stomp/sg...operations.html Posted on 09 Feb 2012 S'pore woman undergoes 10 operations to look like anime character Singapore based fashion designer Jacqueline Koh, 29, has spent $136,000 over the past several years on 10 operations to have her face transformed into that of an anime character.

Hello guys, I need some help. Where can you get coins in USA? I exchanged all dollar notes at money changer but heard coins there are widely used and is rather essential. Banks here/there? Or just spend there to get the change in coins? I need the coins for parking toll charge etc which do not accept bills. Noob here btw. Thanks!

See this clip This guy talks about financial ratios. He says a home 4x your annual income will result you spending 30% of your salary on the roof over your head. I think many people are spending like 10x their annual income on homes? Of course US home rates are higher but we cant expect our home rates to be forever at 2% pa. To retire at 65 we need to save 15-20% of our income so that at 65 we would have a saving/investment of12x our annual income. Can be done?

The man Suriya will have to overtake By Cheryl Tay FOR Singapore's Suriya Bala Kerisnan, the man he'll want to beat is Rio Haryanto. Who is Rio? An almost full-page advertisement in the Straits Times last Friday called him Indonesia's F1 world champion, but added in smaller print,coming soon. Meet Formula BMW Pacific's current championship leader from Indonesia, a 15-year-old business student based in Singapore who dreams of reaching Formula One one day. Before this weekend's race, Rio was fully funded by Kiky Stationery, a business in Indonesia, owned by his 50-year-old father Sinyo. Born in Solo, Central Java, Indonesia, Rio is currently residing near the Katong area and studying business at FTMS Global Singapore. After consecutively winning the last five rounds of the Formula BMW Pacific series, Rio managed to clinch a sponsorship deal with Indonesian cellular telecommunication company Telkomsel (35 per cent owned by SingTel) last month. Contract The deal is worth 50,000 euros ($104,000) and is valid for a contract of three years. "We approached Telkomsel since the start of this year and have been pursuing them since. They finally agreed to fund Rio with a deal worth 50,000 euros and that covers about a third of this season's expenses," said Sinyo, who makes it a point to follow his son to every race. Sinyo has spent more than a million euros on Rio's racing career since Rio started karting at the age of six. Rio - the youngest of four sons - participated in his first competitive kart race at the age of nine. He went on to conquer the Asian Karting Open Championship,winning the Junior category three years in a row from 2005 to 2007. In 2006, he also won the Rotax Max Asian Championship. Last year, Rio raced in the Asian Formula Renault championship, Formula Asia 2.0 and Formula BMW Pacific. Switching from Asia Racing Team (which is the team now hoping to groom Singapore's Suriya for next year) to Questnet Team Qi-Meritus this year, Rio is competing in his first full season of Formula BMW Pacific. The weekend started well for Rio as he took second place at the first race at the MarinaBay circuit. But he failed to repeat his performance in the second race yesterday and finished fifth. "After investing so much money, of course I would want my son to win. The next step forward for him would be to go for GP3," said Sinyo. The GP3 Series is a single-seater motor racing series that will start next year as a feeder series for the GP2 Series, F1's strongest feeder series. Rio told The New Paper: "Like most, my dream is to become an F1 driver. "I know few Asians have succeeded in F1, but I will definitely do my best to achieve the highest possible level in motorsport." Paid to drive SURIYA Bala Kerisnan - without any major team or individual sponsorship like Rio Haryanto - has an uphill task to reach the standards shown by Brazilian Felipe Nasr. With limited sponsors, Nasr, 17 - a guest driver during this weekend's Formula BMW Pacific race and winner in the two races on Saturday and yesterday - did not have enough funds when he joined Euro International. But Nasr impressed his team boss Antonio Ferrari enough so the latter agreed to fund the remaining three-quarters of the budget. He visited Singapore, fresh from winning the championship title at the recently-concluded Formula BMW Europe (a step higher than Formula BMW Pacific). Prior to Nasr's first full season in Formula BMW Europe this year, he had only been a guest driver in the two Formula BMW Americas support races to the Brazilian Grand Prix last year. Experience Other than that, his racing experience was limited to karting only. Ferrari, who has been at the helm of the team for two decades, told The New Paper: "Nasr surprised everybody at the testing. In the same car, he set a time four tenths quicker than the lap record we set in the Formula BMW world final. He's amazing, I'm so glad I found him."

Out of the 4 below, which one is yours or recommended? 1- HSBC 2- POSB everyday 3- DBS Esso 4- UOB Anyone did simple analysis on which one is the most worthwhile to use in terms of the Rewards $?

"Some gantries already have an electronic board alongside the gantry serving the same purpose but, as Transport Minister Raymond Lim conceded in Parliament earlier this year, these are sometimes too small for the motorists to read . . . The tab for the 70 gantries therefore comes to $4.55 million." So wrote Maria Almenoar of Straits Times 12 May 2008. you say leh?

Hi guys Can we list down shopping centres where upon a minimum spending, you will get free car park coupon? I believe it will be very beneficial to all users here...