GEORGE TOWN — First-person accounts of challenges with the private healthcare system and excessively high insurance premiums are necessary for the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to table an “indisputable” report on the matter to Parliament, the committee’s head told members of the public today.
PAC chairman Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin urged the public to speak up to help the committee contribute to private healthcare and insurance reforms.
“We want to produce a comprehensive, indisputable report which no one would be able to dispute.
“We want a report that can help the government in crafting policies that would help Malaysians (on these issues),” she told the reporters at the sidelines of PAC’s first public hearing session on insurance premiums hikes, private hospital charges, and the impacts to public healthcare, held at AC Hotel in Bukit Jambul this morning.
Other PAC members at the hearing were Bayan Baru MP Sim Tze Tzin, Kubang Pasu MP Datuk Ku Abdul Rahman Ku Ismail, Sik MP Ahmad Tarmizi Sulaiman and Saratok MP Datuk Ali Biju.
The three-hour long session gathered medical doctors, civil society groups, insurance and takaful agents, and policyholders who shared their struggles in coping with insurance premium rates that have skyrocketed beyond their financial ability to pay.
Among them was Bajan Singh, 65, a retiree from Ipoh who shared how his insurance premium increased from RM3,000 to RM15,000 in the span of five years. This is despite the fact that he did not undergo many procedures except for a cataract removal surgery two years ago.
“Now, I think that the amount I have paid is much, much more. If I had saved that money, it would have come to hundreds of thousands (of ringgit),” he lamented during his testimony.
Other policyholders shared today how they were subjected to excessively priced medical bills despite being insured, and of being subjected to unnecessary medical procedures.
These complaints – part of allegations by policyholders that those with medical insurance are charged more than those paying out of pocket – were previously dismissed by the Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia (APHM) which considered it a “misconception” that had to be “proven”.
Insurance and takaful operators (ITOs), meanwhile have cited rising medical costs, an increasing number of insurance claims or greater utilisation of policies, as among the reasons for raising premiums.
In response to public concerns, Bank Negara Malaysia in December said as an interim measure, ITOs are to spread out premium adjustments over a minimum of three years, a measure to remain in place until the end of 2026. This would keep yearly premium hikes to less than 10%, for the majority of policyholders, the central bank said.
Sim, meanwhile, called for continued discourse on such issues, urging the public to back the government’s attempts to address them.
“The public needs to come very strongly (on these matters). If you feel something is wrong, speak up.
“Let us work together in looking for solutions for the entire (healthcare) ecosystem from the private to the public hospitals,” he said.
PAC’s next public hearing session on medical insurance and private hospital charges will be in Parliament’s banquet hall in Kuala Lumpur, on Feb21.
Those wishing to attend are encouraged to pre-register at this link, although Sim has said walk-ins are also welcomed. – February 14, 2025