Dengue is back up!

http://www.dengue.gov.sg/

Location of Active Clusters (as at 25 Apr 2013 )

A dengue cluster is formed when 2 or more dengue cases occur within 14 days and the homes of the dengue victims are within the distance of 150m.

Alert Level indicates the severity of a dengue cluster. Each alert level is associated with a list of preventive actions that the public can take to protect against dengue. There are 3 alert levels:

Definition	Alert Level
High-risk area with 10 or more cases	Red
High-risk area with less than 10 cases	Yellow
No new cases, under surveillance for the next 21 days	Green

  Did you also know that some insurance plans can cover dengue fever attacks?

Check with your insurance agent today!

Prevention is better than cure,
Jessica

Being Hospitalised

No, not me, but a very close friend of mine who had an absolutely HILARIOUS reason for getting warded.

but anyway, my story today is about the actual process of being hospitalised. This friend of mine had recently come bck to Singapore having been away overseas for a long time. finally starting up her CPF contributions again, I suggested and have been trying to get her on a good local hospitalisation insurance package. she kept saying that needed to wait until she was more settled back home before she could start on one.

in any case, she had a little accident (- it is funny how these accident/illness things always strike those that don't have proper coverage) and had to be hospitalised for observation.

now she was in a government hospital, not by choice but because her doctor happened to recommend her there. apparently her relatives/mum/etc were asking her, "why didn't you ask your doctor to refer you to mount e or gleneagles or a private hospital!"

but checked in already, and lying in the cot waiting for whatever it was that needed waiting for, HERE is the kicker.

NO MORE A OR B CLASS WARDS AVAILABLE.

she had to suck it up in C class. the 6 bed wards.

that's not to say that C class isn't a good place to receive medical care. it's just that it is the lowest tier. lack of privacy, fighting for nurses' attention etc. we've all heard the stories..

now, even knowing that she would have to foot the majority of the bill on her own, she was more than willing to pay money to get into A or B after that. she was still lucky that she has her basic medishield plan and is high up enough in the heirarchy of her office to get a decent company insurance compensation plan.

I can tell you when i went to visit that i have resolved to make sure that my clients get the best they can possbile get when it comes to hospitalisation plans. it really just makes me grateful that my job is about helping people to afford the best possible treatment that they could want in a situation where they couldn't imagine doing anything less.

MY GOODNESS. the wards don't have doors - it's not a closed 6 bedder but it's opened up into everywhere. majority of the people in there look like they are above the age of 60, and it is no offense to be elderly, but when you are a YOUNG persons seated in a room full of older folk, with assortments of maladies, you can't help but get this shrinking feeling that the grim reaper is walking around, looking over your shoulder.

now my friend got a little tiny enclosed corner. the ladies of the ward must have dragged a cot into this corner and draped the curtains across to give her a little privacy, but unfortunately it really did not help much. my friend shared that overnight, you can hear EVERYTHING that's going on. people moaning and groaning, crying and being upset, screaming in some cases, and (seriously) the vacuum cleaner going about the corridor early in the morning.

for someone who had just a teeny tiny accident, didn't have insurance, she was WILLING to pay for a higher class ward to get out of there for the duration of her short stay. what i find sad about this whole situation is those poor older folk who will never have a chance to improve their coverage at their age. they don't have a choice because of the costs of treatment for their long term ailments could never afford them the luxury of an upgrade - it just wouldn't be sustainable.

think twice when you are looking at hospital plans. make sure that you are getting what you bargain for.

given the levels and tiers of hospitalization insurance there are these days, it provides us with so many options to suit our budget. but my advice is - DON'T SCRIMP ON YOUR HEALTHCARE. 

reaffirmed in what i do,
Jessica

MoneySmart posts an article on Car Insurance and how to go about settling claims

Thursday, Friday and then my wedding. And I'm still posting a post! DEDICATION :D

Nobody really wants to get into an accident, but sure enough it happens

http://www.moneysmart.sg/car-insurance/how-to-make-a-car-insurance-claim-in-singapore/
This Article by Moneysmart includes a breakdown of 4 easy steps of what to do when you get into a car accident.

Step 1: Get Contact Details
Step 2: Take Photos of the Vehicles
Step 3. Head to an Authorized Workshop
Step 4: Check the Impact on Your Policy

And there you have it!

But please stay safe on the roads, Prevention is btter than cure! Where prevention fails, rest assured that you still have your insurance.

Last Minute Wedding Changes absolutely making me drop hair,
Jessica 

MONEY MIND IS STILL ON AIR??!!

Amazing!! and the shows they are showing are quite awesome!! "what's your financial health" etc etc.

i can become promoter for mediacorp and channel news asia already. lol

Super busy with Wedding Planning!!

So sorry i've just not had time to come on. it's florist today and caterer tomorrw. ARGH! massive headaches. For this reason, I'm regretting not bought a savings plan earlier in life :( save early = money comes out faster. so start saving today!

reaosn for today's post:

Can we Really Afford to Fall Sick in Singapore?
on "On The Red Dot", Wednesday Evenings, 9pm on TCS 5
http://entertainment.xin.msn.com/en/tv/channel-5/programmes/on-the-red-dot-1

This is areally good television show. It's good to know that the broadcasting stations are picking up on the animosity and real questioning of the going-ons in Singapore. Check out their facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/OnTheRedDot

Know more about what's going on!
Jessica

Singapore Budget 2013. Big issues on the horizon.

Singapore Budget 2013 - Initiatives Relating to CPF
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Tharman Shanmugaratnam announced the following initiatives relating to CPF during the FY2013 Budget Statement in Parliament on 25 February 2013:

• Enhancements to the Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) Scheme
  
  The WIS scheme has been enhanced as follows:

1)	Income cap extended to $1,900/month to benefit more Singaporean workers
2)	Higher WIS payouts of up to $3,500/year to better provide for expenditure needs and enhance retirement savings
3)	More WIS to be given out in cash to help recipients with their immediate expenses (40% of WIS payouts for employees and 10% of WIS payouts for self-employed persons)
4)	Increase in WIS payments to CPF Medisave and Special Accounts, without reducing contributions to the Ordinary Account, to boost the healthcare and retirement savings of older low-wage workers
5)	Additional criteria to improve targeting of WIS to focus on WIS recipients with limited access to household wealth


The changes will apply to work done from 1 January 2013 onwards.

Sad and Dateless on Valentines' Day

what a week.

Chinese New Year and Valentines day in a span of a week!

it's pouring today and i'm feeling awfully melancholy because my fiance is at work til late today. *BIG SIGH*

on the bright side, it's time to get back to work! I've got to start arranging meetings with my clients and one of them has been excited to look at the new Shield plan upgrades.

so maybe I DO have a date for Valentines' after all, haha

to all the lovers and the sweethearts out there, make the most of every moment you have with your loved ones and let it be Valentines Day every day :)

hugs and kisses,
Jessica