The linked article makes pretty clear that all Singapore did was revert the unvaccinated to the pre-pandemic way of paying for their health care, without the pandemic exception of the government paying for COVID-related health care.
The only Singaporeans who are getting “free” COVID health care now are those who are vaccinated, and have not traveled recently, and catch COVID.
If we want to see this “free COVID care” as a reward for being vax’d and not taking risks like traveling outside Singapore, that’s fine: see it as a reward.
But it’s not fine to imply that taking away “free” COVID health care for unvax’d Singaporeans is a punishment.
The unvax’d are just going back into the general population of Singaporeans who pay for their own health care, out of their own insurance and medical savings mechanisms. This includes vaccinated Singaporeans who pay for their own non-COVID related healthcare.
Much of the western media covering this story conveyed the impression that Singapore is “punishing” the unvax’d by not paying for their COVID-related health care. I think this is a kind of mis-information. Even though Zvi links to an article that partially explains this, Zvi’s short excerpt still gives this false impression.
With great respect and admiration for Zvi and LessWrong,
Re: >Meanwhile in Singapore, they’re done paying for Covid-19 treatment for the ‘voluntarily unvaccinated.’<
The linked article makes pretty clear that all Singapore did was revert the unvaccinated to the pre-pandemic way of paying for their health care, without the pandemic exception of the government paying for COVID-related health care.
The only Singaporeans who are getting “free” COVID health care now are those who are vaccinated, and have not traveled recently, and catch COVID.
If we want to see this “free COVID care” as a reward for being vax’d and not taking risks like traveling outside Singapore, that’s fine: see it as a reward.
But it’s not fine to imply that taking away “free” COVID health care for unvax’d Singaporeans is a punishment.
The unvax’d are just going back into the general population of Singaporeans who pay for their own health care, out of their own insurance and medical savings mechanisms. This includes vaccinated Singaporeans who pay for their own non-COVID related healthcare.
Much of the western media covering this story conveyed the impression that Singapore is “punishing” the unvax’d by not paying for their COVID-related health care. I think this is a kind of mis-information. Even though Zvi links to an article that partially explains this, Zvi’s short excerpt still gives this false impression.
With great respect and admiration for Zvi and LessWrong,
Jody Lanard MD (on Twitter: @EIDGeek )