Why Singapore hospital prices are lower
Public Singapore is cheaper because the ministry posts a subsidized class bill — B2 is a floor, not a secret contract. Private can still charge US money. In the US the tower that cannot be dropped from the network extracts 2–3× Medicare. The plan is the pass-through, not the price-setter.
Public floor + class subsidy
How it works
Public hospitals sell four ward classes. C and B2 are subsidized for citizens. MOH posts typical transacted bills. MediShield Life is the catastrophic layer. Private Mount E exists — it does not reset what a B2 stay costs. The job plan is not in the room writing a secret multiple.
Why it holds
The sourced invoices are MOH 2023 medians, after subsidy, before MediShield/MediSave, in SGD: CABG+valve public B2 S$16,381 vs US commercial CABG $89,094; hip B2 S$8,871 vs $29,006; knee B2 S$7,395 vs $26,340. Converted at 1.34 SGD/USD. Private inpatient knee is S$43,138 — that tower can match US commercial. The public floor is why the country spends $6,551 per person (WHO 2023 PPP), not OECD 2024. iFHP and RAND do not publish Singapore.
The invoices
See iFHP, RAND hospitals, Papanicolas, MOH bills.