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Housing, health subsidies should be transparent, inclusive

I appreciate that the Prime Minister’s National Day message mentioned two groups in particular: The elderly, who worry over healthcare costs and the cost of living, and the younger generation, who are concerned about the education system and public housing prices.

I appreciate that the Prime Minister’s National Day message mentioned two groups in particular: The elderly, who worry over healthcare costs and the cost of living, and the younger generation, who are concerned about the education system and public housing prices.

The question now is what will be done that would have an impact.

Many would acknowledge that the Housing and Development Board has been proactively ramping up supply. The cost of flats for first-timers, though, is still high.

I recently enquired about the subsidy HDB accords and was told that it was substantial, based on the resale value of equivalent resale units.

I had expected the subsidy to be spelt out, be it S$30,000, S$100,000 or more, excluding the housing grants. Is this not a question of transparency?

As for healthcare, since 2011, there have been announcements on new hospitals, Medisave usage and increases in MediShield premiums with incremental increase in coverage.

The Community Health Assist Scheme has also been given much publicity, but many who may want to apply, like me, are unable to because of the per capita household income criteria.

I have two young working adult children and my wife is employed, effectively disqualifying me although I am over the age of 62 and am working part-time only.

The criteria should be based on the individual’s income rather than family income, which puts smaller families at a disadvantage.

I hope that the coming healthcare changes will be meaningful, with less restrictions.

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