Jonathan Chua

Who Should Be Blamed For The Unsustainable Increase In Private Healthcare Cost? Earlier this week, the Life Insurance Association (LIA) of Singapore shared some worrying trends about the cost of private healthcare in Singapore. Here are some extracts to consider. The above chart, obtained from the Ministry Of Health (MOH), shows that the median bill size for private hospitals have been increasing at a rate of about 15% per annum over the past two years. This is in contrast to public hospitals, which have seen a reasonable increase of about 2-3%. Singapore long-term inflation rate is about 2-3% per annum. What this means is that while medical bills from public hospitals are in line with our inflation rate, the same cannot be said for bills from private hospitals. When we look at the average bill sizes incurred by the five insurers that provide integrated shield plans, we observe a similar trend. source

In today’s day and age, it is very important to have insurance coverage in order to deal with the uncertainties of life. With the burgeoning need of insurance policies, there are a plethora of insurance products available in the market. However, choosing the right insurance plan according to one’s own suitability depends on various factors. It is important to consider factors like time period, age, number of dependents, and the amount of coverage required before zeroing on an insurance policy. So, doing a little bit of research before making a final decision always helps in choosing the right insurance policy. If we talk about term insurance and a traditional life insurance policy, then both the plans have some advantages and some limitations.  Let’s take a look at these in details in order to understand whether you should consider buying term insurance or a traditional life insurance policy. source

But Asian Tigers Set Expense Limits to Protect Citizens I came down with flu yesterday and had to see the doctor. The bill came up to quite a hefty sum. So it set me thinking – you feel very insecure to see a doctor in Singapore. It is so expensive here and there is no cap on how much Singaporeans and the people living in Singapore have to pay for healthcare. So, I decided to take a look at what the other Asian Tigers (Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea) and Japan do with their healthcare system. This is what I found. source

As obesity is a serious threat to your health, it’s important to understand the right way to lose weight. Here are some things you should know about why it’s important to maintain a healthy weight and how to manage your weight effectively. How To Achieve A Healthy Weight In order to achieve a healthy weight, it is important to first understand the dangers of obesity. Obesity is a condition in which excess body fat accumulates and puts you at risk of a variety of health problems. This excess fat may reduce life expectancy and increase the risk of other health problems, so it is vital to maintain a healthy weight. Know Your BMI  There are many ways to measure body fat. However, the simplest is by calculating your Body Mass Index (BMI). BMI measures the relationship between your weight and height to calculate the amount of body fat you have. The higher your BMI, the higher the amount of fat in your body. read more