It doesn’t matter if you already have an insurance policy or if you’re up to your neck in loan debts because the Malaysian government’s new 1Care health insurance scheme will ensure that you pay 10% of your gross salary whether you need it or not. Some groups have stepped forward to protest this new healthcare policy which is still in the works and rumors say that it may well be implemented as soon as the end of this year.
10% is a huge amount to fork out. If you’re living on a RM3,500 salary and you’re married with three children, your current take home salary will be RM3,010 but after 1Care has been implemented, it’ll go down to RM2,660. That’s a huge difference!
According to the Health Ministry, 10% is a very generous ballpark figure for the national average healthcare expenditure per household but our question is, why isn’t there a ceiling cap? Why is it that the more you earn the higher you pay even though you may not have any medical needs? Most people already have their company’s panel doctors to go to Apparently, this policy will be made mandatory so that everyone across the board gets equal access to healthcare as and when they need it without worrying about the cost while improving its quality. The healthcare provided is said to not only cover minor illnesses such as fevers or colds but also chronic diseases like diabetes.
The truth is, our public healthcare system isn’t perfect and most who can afford it, will opt to go for public hospitals instead The Ministry also states that the difference between private and public healthcare is based on costs, not quality. 1Care seems like an additional tax masked as a public health insurance scheme. Countries who enforce high taxes such as Australia and UK visibly deliver results. They have excellent transportation, great education systems and quality healthcare all of which some say with higher tax implementation.
Image credits to fieqmayhem
Basically, 1Care is a public health insurance scheme that offers basic protection, and mainly to help pay for the cost of treating medium-level illnesses. For better protection, people typically buy additional personal health insurance, but it is still compulsory for them to contribute to the pool. Like most developed countries, taxes ensures that the money flows from the rich to the poor but we all know that without proper auditing, we can’t say for sure if the money paid by the people are used for the right reasons.
The Government has been urged to share its plans with the people and not just medical groups such as pharmacists and doctors as it will affect many of us greatly in more ways than one. What say you?
