KUALA LUMPUR: Rising insurance premiums will make private healthcare inaccessible for the average and poorer segments of the population.
Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) president Mohideen Abdul Kader said this concern was backed by the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2019, which revealed that only 22 per cent of Malaysians were covered by health insurance, and 43 per cent of those uninsured cited affordability as the primary barrier.
"The government must address the root causes of rising insurance premiums, a persistent and unresolved issue.
It is clear that private healthcare is becoming increasingly unaffordable for ordinary Malaysians.
"Although efforts are underway to enhance public healthcare facilities, they are insufficient to alleviate the strain on the system. Many Malaysians who cannot afford private healthcare end up overwhelming public healthcare services," he told the New Straits Times.
He said, for example, implementing the regulatory compliance charge was a step towards transparency in drug pricing.
"The Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011 could further promote fairness and affordability in healthcare costs."
Mohideen said transparency remained a contentious issue, with patients using personal health insurance complaining about extra or inflated charges.
He said while professional charges were regulated under the Medical Procedures and Services Nomenclature and Relative Values guidelines, costs for drugs and miscellaneous items remained unregulated.
He said the NHMS 2023 survey showed that 54.8 per cent of hospital admissions were funded by patients themselves, their families or household members, while only 15 per cent were covered by private health insurance.
"With insurance premiums projected to increase by 40 to 70 per cent in 2025, the burden on policyholders will escalate further," he said.