<story><title>What Makes Singapore’s Health Care So Cheap?</title><url>https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/02/upshot/what-makes-singapores-health-care-so-cheap.html</url></story><parent_chain></parent_chain><comment><author>hitekker</author><text>Personal anecdote:&lt;p&gt;My Singaporean Uncle got stage IV nose-cancer two years ago. He has two kids, a stay-at-home wife and a job that pays only middle income. After a year of constant, weekly treatment by an assortment of doctors, he went into remission and paid in total less than one thousand dollars.&lt;p&gt;My Singaporean ex-girlfriend had systemic organ issues over her life, that have alternately caused her seizures and blackouts. She was hospitalized for years at a time. Again, middle income family, with three kids and a stay-at-home-wife. Her family paid virtually nothing for 15+ years of treatment, and then the government paid for her university. Full-ride. Oh and they also paid her directly to attend classes. About S$1500 per semester, last time I checked.&lt;p&gt;I have so many other great stories about my mother&amp;#x27;s country.&lt;p&gt;For now, my sentiment is that Singapore&amp;#x27;s society, government and people, on balance, cares about each other. Not a power-hungry &amp;quot;all glory to the nation&amp;quot; care, or a brainless &amp;quot;let&amp;#x27;s give everyone everything for free&amp;quot; care, but a &amp;quot;these people are people like you and I. If I put on their shoes, how would I like to be treated?&amp;quot; care.&lt;p&gt;In the United States, that basic, human empathy is in question.</text></comment>
<story><title>What Makes Singapore’s Health Care So Cheap?</title><url>https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/02/upshot/what-makes-singapores-health-care-so-cheap.html</url></story><parent_chain></parent_chain><comment><author>kuwze</author><text>Why is there never a comparison to Japan? They are 1&amp;#x2F;2 the size of the USA, have a privatized health system, and it&amp;#x27;s pretty damn awesome. They also have price controls which make things a lot easier to comprehend.</text></comment>