Deep Dive - More isn’t necessarily better when it comes to private health insurance: Ong Ye Kung
Insurance riders that cover nearly all private hospital bills have created a situation where patients go for tests they may not need, insurers lose money and premiums spiral upward. Health Minister Ong Ye Kung tells Steven Chia how the government is looking into setting benchmarks for private hospital charges - similar to what has been done for surgeon fees.
Deep Dive - Are central kitchens the future of school meals?
Thirteen primary and secondary schools will adopt a central kitchen model from January 2026, in a move aimed at addressing a shortage of canteen stall operators. What does this mean for students? And what parts of the traditional recess experience might get left behind? Steven Chia speaks to school canteen stall owner Rayner Tan and Ben Airey of Victus Catering.
Deep Dive - Why MRT disruptions feel extra frustrating and what can a new task force do?
In just the last few months, Singapore has seen at least 15 disruptions to the rail network. At the same time, rail reliability according to a key measure is at its lowest point since 2020. Is it time for the authorities to rethink the way they measure our network's reliability and find new connectivity solutions when the when train services are down? In this week’s Deep Dive, Steven Chia speaks with transport economist Walter Theseira and Tin Pei Ling, chair of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Transport, on what needs to be done to get our trains back on track.
Deep Dive - Are incels a growing concern for Singapore?
A 14-year-old student was recently issued a restriction order after being self-radicalised by a “salad bar” of extremist ideologies. The boy also identified as an incel, short for "involuntary celibate" - a subculture of mostly men who believe that they are unable to find a romantic partner. How did the incel culture take root and what conversations should we have with youths before they turn to extremist ideologies? Steven Chia and Otelli Edwards discuss with Yasmine Wong, associate research fellow at the Centre of Excellence for National Security at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies and Devendra Bisaria, counsellor from Incontact Counselling.
Deep Dive - Is there a space and noise solution for the pickleball boom?
Pickleball is catching on fast in Singapore, but complaints over noise and space are growing just as quickly. In land-scarce Singapore, how much room is there for a new sport? Steven Chia and Otelli Edwards speak to Ganesh Ramalingam, founder of the Pickleball Social Crew and Assistant Professor Tan Shin Bin from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.
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Steven Chia unpacks Singapore news. Listen in as he takes a deep dive into hot button issues that matter so that you are always in the know.
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