Sunday, December 20, 2015

Healthcare, we can all afford


Being hospitalised is no fun and having to worry about that hospital bill, no matter big or small, can make it worse. Fortunately Singaporeans enjoy heavy subsidies in public hospitals, especially in class B2 and C wards.

This means that a huge part of your hospital bill is taken care of when you are admitted into hospital. You just need to bear part of the medical expenses and pay more if you opt for a higher class ward.

Overall, direct subsidies to patients have increased, from about $850 million in 2001 to more than $1.6billion in 2007. And this is projected to exceed $2.2 billion by 2012.

Singaporeans can be proud of our healthcare system which is rated among the best in the world. We have a comprehensive system – with government subsidies, supplemented with the 3Ms – that makes sure everyone can manage the financial burdens of hospitalisation.

a. Medisave
This compulsory medical savings plan lets you pay for either your own personal or immediate family members’ hospitalisation expenses. On average, each Singaporean has enough in his or her Medisave account to cover about 11 class B2 or 12 class C hospitalisation episodes. These savings help to significantly lighten our hospital bills.

More than 80 per cent of Singaporeans use Medisave to pay for their hospitalisation expenses. Medisave usage has also been progressively extended to meet outpatient needs.

b. MediShield
MediShield is a low-cost medical insurance plan that helps patients cope with large bills and covers up to 80 per cent for class B2 and C bills. If you are in the middle income group and prefer class A or B1 or private wards, you should consider buying supplementary Medisave-approved insurance plans for additional benefits, in addition to basic MediShield.

Currently, about 75 per cent of Singaporeans are covered under MediShield and other types of Medisave-approved insurance plans.

C. Medifund
Medifund works like a financial safety net to help Singaporeans in genuine need. Those who still face difficulties with hospital expenses, even after government subsidies, Medisave and MediShield, can approach a medical social worker at public hospitals to help them apply for Medifund.

We must all play our part

We must never take good health for granted, and should all play an active part to keep healthcare affordable. Therefore we should live a healthy lifestyle, contribute to Medisave and buy adequate and appropriate healthcare insurance.

Lower income Singaporeans should have basic MediShield which covers class B2 and C wards. The better-off who can afford the higher ward classes should buy Medisave-approved Private Integrated Plans on top of their basic MediShield to cover their stays in class A or B1 wards or at private hospitals.

For more information, do whatsapp me at +65 9151 9924 for a free consultation today.

Sunday, November 15, 2015

GOOD OFFER: Kata M2L (4G Smartphone) and Kata PowerBank

Friends, there are TWO HOT DEALS going on at Kata now. Kata is a leading smartphone manufacturer in United State and the pricing is quite attractive and affordable. Do check out the two special promotion now. For more information, click HERE to Kata Singapore official Facebook!

HOT DEAL: Get our Kata 4,400mAh Powerbank at only $12 (Original Price: $17) and stand a chance to win admission tickets to Universal Studio Singapore and Trick Eye Museum (worth $204).


Total 3 lucky winners will be selected during our lucky draw on 1 December 2015. Winners will be announced at Kata Singapore Facebook. In addition upon purchase, you will also get $10 Kata's Device Discount Voucher and $5 Kata's Accessories Voucher.

Take note that each store only have 50 limited Powerbank for this promotion. Do grab it while stocks last. Share the message around to your friends now!

Promotion in-store: 15 November to 30 November 2015.

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GOOD NEWS: Pre-order Kata M2L (4G Network) with Dual SIM smartphone at $268 only. Available in white and dark grey colour at ALL Kata stores and kiosk, starting from 16 November to 25 November 2015.


SPEC: 1.3GHz Quad Core, 5.5" Super HD, 1GB RAM + 16GB Storage, 13MP + 8MP camera, Battery 3000mAh and Android 5.1

In conjunction with SG50 celebration, first 50 customers pre-order Kata M2L, will receive the following FREE bonus items:

* Screen Protector
* Phone Casing
* $5 Kata's Accessories Voucher
* $10 Kata's Device Voucher
* $50 Lifestyle Shopping Discount Vouchers
* Lucky Draw to win Kata T4 tablet (worth $188)

Pre-order with $100 deposit at any of our Kata stores and kiosk:

Kata Store at Lucky Plaza
304, Orchard Road, #01-51
Singapore 238863

Kata Store at Sim Lim Square
1, Rochor Canal Road, #01-34
Singapore 188504

Kata Kiosk at Chinatown Point
133, North Bridge Road, #02-50
Singapore 059413

Kata Concept Store at The Commerze @ Irving
1, Irving Place, #02-26
Singapore 369546

Saturday, October 10, 2015

A story about tissue paper sellers in Singapore

A reporter from The New Paper is working on a story about tissue paper sellers in Singapore and he posted me the question below:

"Most of the tissue paper sellers in train stations or in hawker centres are unlicensed, and generally they are still allowed to carry on selling without a license by the authorities. While this means that the disabled/elderly can sell their tissue packets easily, it also complicates the issue because that means just about anyone can get to sell. Some are saying that it becomes a sort of glorified way of begging, that there is no way to tell the difference between those who need help and those who are just cashing in on this. There are quite a number of foreigners who are doing this too, and some are concerned that the money isn't going to people who need the help.

As a voluntary welfare organization that helps to provide support for the elderly and the poor, I am keen to find out what Happy People thinks about this. Do you think more can be done so that these people do not have to turn to tissue paper selling to earn money?"


My replies are as follow:

I feel that it's good that the authorities did not impose a need for license for tissue paper sellers as the disabled/elderly can sell their tissue packets easily without any issue. It is definitely a better sight than to see such disabled/elderly begging on the streets, as they are considered making a living for themselves through their own efforts.

Probably one way that the authorities can support the actual people who needs help, is to provide these group of people a special banner/lanyard to indicate that these are the people who really need help and the public should lend a helping hand by buying something from them. Its a better way to indicate the needy rather than imposing a need for license for all, and as for those people who are just cashing in on this, it's up to the individual of the public to exercise the right judgement.

As the founder of Happy People, I think that there is definitely more can be done for these people. Most likely, most tissue sellers have the mindset that they can work as and when they want when they sell tissue, and would prefer a flexible job similar to this if they were to make a switch. Perhaps, government can provide a benefit for employers who specifically hire these people to work. Charity and voluntary welfare organisation can also hire these people to help out in their daily administrative task.