Interest is lost on the S$4465.20 and the share portfolio could appreciate six-fold. Since shares cannot be bought with Medisave, the S$18,000 would still exceed the alternative. More of a problem is the law of averages. As with all risk-pools, there is the Statistical probability that no claim will ever be made. Meanwhile, savings withdrawn from the ear marked medical accounts cannot be spent on healthcare should the member need hospitalization before he grows old. The sums paid out by ElderShield are not very great. Five years is not forever. Persons with not one but three serious disabilities might not survive for five years in order to enjoy their full buffet syndrome. One disability is not enough: it must be three. Anxious persons might want a better hedge.