新加坡

I AGREE with senior health correspondent Salma Khalik ("Curb rising cost of health insurance, allow switch"; Sept 28).自存倉Moving forward, the Ministry of Health (MOH) should look at all the Integrated Shield plans and review why MediShield is lacking.The new MediShield Life should at least have the minimum features of the most basic Integrated Shield plan, which should be sufficient to cover Singaporeans in a government restructured hospital.MediShield Life should cover patients who seek a second opinion and treatment at a private hospital if they have already sought consultation at a government hospital.The deductibles and co-insurance element should stay to ensure that MediShield Life is not being abused.The Mmini storageH should review the profit margins of all providers of Integrated Shield plans and limit them to a certain percentage. This should be made public, since providing Integrated Shield plans is a form of community service.This should also be done for all national insurance plans which have been outsourced, for example, ElderShield and the Dependants' Protection Scheme.As society ages, the younger generation may end up funding the coverage for the older generation.The MOH should take a long-term view and, if need be, engage retired experts, view overseas plans and seek public consultation to make MediShield Life a plan which assures Singaporeans that their medical well-being will be taken care of.David Soh Poh Huat儲存