Granted, Singapore has a reputation as an Orwellian nation-state where everything is a little too perfect and a lot too controlled. But their approach to medical coverage for alien and immigrant workers presents a remarkable contrast to this country’s approach to both health care and foreign labor.

The Singapore Manpower Ministry (Orwell spins in grave) is considering a medical insurance arrangement for all foreign workers that will meet their medical expenses. The reason for this announcement is that another Singapore government agency, the Health Ministry, is getting out of the business of subsidizing health coverage for foreigners.

With the recent announcement that medical subsidies for foreign workers would be withdrawn, the government now wants to make sure that when they fall sick, there is some provision to meet their medical expenses. While many employers have medical insurance for their foreign workers, there are some that do not.

One concern in the private sector is a pandemic situation where companies are saddled with massive medical costs for large numbers of sick employees. According to a Ministry spokesman, “Some employers have fed back and asked if there can be a group insurance for these foreign workers. That is a good idea. We are exploring to see if we make medical coverage compulsory for all foreign workers, whether that will drive down premiums.” That is an idea worth considering.