{"id":13431,"date":"2016-05-03T09:13:52","date_gmt":"2016-05-03T01:13:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.imoney.my\/articles\/?p=13431"},"modified":"2024-12-24T12:33:50","modified_gmt":"2024-12-24T04:33:50","slug":"all-you-need-to-know-about-getting-medical-insurance-in-malaysia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.imoney.my\/articles\/all-you-need-to-know-about-getting-medical-insurance-in-malaysia","title":{"rendered":"All You Need To Know About Getting Medical Insurance In Malaysia"},"content":{"rendered":"

With medical inflation climbing steadily, it is undeniable that private medical treatment is fast becoming a luxury that not many of us can afford.<\/p>\n

Due to increasing lifestyle diseases, such as diabetes and chronic heart disease, access to fast and quality treatment become a priority. With diabetes, high cholesterol, hypertension, and obesity affecting more than 5% of adult Malaysians today, the spotlight has shifted to medical insurance in recent years.<\/p>\n

However, with household debt showing no signs of reducing, it becomes crucial to find the \u201cbest value\u201d medical insurance for you and your family. Best value is not solely defined by the premium, but also what you get in return for the premium. It should also depend on your needs — why pay more than what you\u00a0need?<\/p>\n

Here are some of the most important factors to help you identify the best medical and health insurance (MHI) plan to suit your needs.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Types of insurance<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

There are generally three\u00a0types of MHI policies in Malaysia: Hospitalisation and surgical insurance, dread disease or critical illness insurance, and long-term care\u00a0insurance.<\/p>\n

\"medical<\/p>\n

For the best coverage, it is always recommended to have all the three\u00a0areas listed above covered by your MHI plan. However, if you are looking to reduce the premium, you can opt for ONLY the medical card which covers the hospitalisation and surgical insurance, including for emergency.<\/p>\n

When comparing benefits offered by the medical card, pay close attention to the room and board limit, daily allowance, pre-hospitalisation, annual limit and lifetime limit.<\/p>\n

For those who have dependents like aging parents, a spouse with no income, and young children, it is important to ensure your life insurance comes with disability (provides an annual income stream) and dread disease (compensates you in a lump sum)\u00a0in the event of total permanent disability (TPD) and when you are hospitalised. In the event of loss of income, this will help your family financially.<\/p>\n

\"medical<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/span>The premium<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Most people make the mistake of buying a medical insurance solely based on the premium. While the premium is important, it should not dictate the insurance policy we should get.<\/p>\n

It is more important to get the coverage that you need within the premium that you can afford.<\/p>\n

Insurance coverage should be considered beyond its premium, as\u00a0what you need that’s most important when deciding on a medical insurance. This applies to over-insuring as well. In this case, just because you can afford the premium does not mean you need that much coverage.<\/p>\n

Want to find out what your maximum insurance premium should be? Use our medical insurance calculator<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/span>The coverage<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Once you have an idea of what type of MHI you need, and roughly how much you can afford in premium, you can start shopping for a health insurance policy.<\/p>\n

Some of the things you should look out for are the room and board limit, annual limit, and lifetime limit.<\/p>\n

When deciding on your annual and lifetime limits, be future ready. With medical inflation at 12% a year, the quantum of health cover that appears adequate today will be inadequate to cover your healthcare expenses in the next few of years.<\/p>\n

\"medical<\/p>\n

Some MHI plans come with a rider plan that lets you waive the annual limit, so you don’t have to worry while you are down and out.<\/p>\n

It’s also important to consider coverage of outpatient treatments before and after hospitalisation, as these can come up to a significant amount. Consultation by a specialist can easily cost several hundred ringgit per session, and medications can set you back by another few hundred. Without pre- or post-hospitalisation outpatient coverage, you will have to fork out the money from your pocket.<\/p>\n

The ASEAN Costs in Oncology (ACTION)<\/a> study by the George Institute for Global Health found that\u00a045% of cancer patients in Malaysia suffered from financial catastrophe one year after diagnosis, and they could not\u00a0pay for medication (39%) and\u00a0medical consultation fees or tests (35%).<\/p>\n

With\u00a0cancer, early detection and treatment can save or prolong the lives of these cancer patients.<\/p>\n

In this case, don\u2019t be penny-wise \u2013 it might cost you dearly in future.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Panel hospitals and reimbursements<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Having a high claimable limit means nothing if the network of hospitals under your insurer is not easily accessible to you. This is one of the most important factors to consider when choosing your MHI insurer.<\/p>\n

If your insurer has a direct tie-up with a hospital, you can opt for the cashless treatment facility (depending on your plan). The transaction will be painless and you don\u2019t have to worry about payment and documentation when you are recovering on the hospital bed.<\/p>\n

In other words, you will not have to fork out any money (depending on your plan) and the claim will be directly settled by your insurance company – saving you the hassle of filing for reimbursement.<\/p>\n

Look for an insurance company that offers cashless facility at a good number of quality hospitals \u2013 especially within your geographical proximity. If you have your preferred doctor or specialist, check to see if they are in the insurer\u2019s network.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Other factors<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

It\u2019s a no brainer that one should study and understand the terms and conditions before committing to any financial decision, especially on something as important as your insurance.<\/p>\n

However, most people do not have the time or the expertise to understand the confusing terms and jargon we often encounter in an insurance policy. To simplify the matter, here are some of the important points that you should look out for in your policy. To make it even easier, you can ask your insurance agent to point these out for you.<\/p>\n