logo
Viability of using savings for medical coverage being assessed

Viability of using savings for medical coverage being assessed

KUALA LUMPUR: The proposal to let Employees Provident Fund (EPF) members use Account 2 for monthly health insurance premiums is still under review, says the fund.
In a statement to the New Straits Times, EPF said it is working closely with the relevant authorities to assess the viability of the initiative.
"EPF is aware of discussions on the proposal to allow the use of savings in Akaun Sejahtera (Account 2) to pay for health insurance premiums.
"The proposal is still being considered, and the EPF is working closely with the relevant parties on the matter," it said.
The fund added that, as with all proposals involving members' savings, a thorough assessment is being carried out to ensure any new measure balances short-term needs with long-term retirement security.
"As with all proposals involving members' savings, careful assessment is being conducted to ensure that any new measures will strike a balance between immediate needs and members' long-term financial wellbeing."
The EPF said further updates would be shared through official channels once available.
On June 19, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said the government is considering allowing EPF members to use their Account 2 savings to pay for monthly health insurance premiums.
He said that, if implemented, the initiative could enable 16 million EPF contributors to access private hospital treatment using their contributions.
However, Dzulkefly later clarified that the proposed health insurance scheme — funded through EPF Account 2 — would be voluntary and not mandatory.
The Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia (APHM) has welcomed the government's proposal to allow EPF members to use their Account 2 savings to pay monthly health insurance premiums, calling it a
Its president, Datuk Dr Kuljit Singh, said while the plan is welcomed, it must be accompanied by clear safeguards to ensure its long-term sustainability.
He said the responsibility now lies with the relevant agencies to determine the most appropriate funding model, whether through EPF or other mechanisms.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Cancer Diaries: Please don't take my EPF for insurance, learn from other countries instead
Cancer Diaries: Please don't take my EPF for insurance, learn from other countries instead

Malay Mail

time19 hours ago

  • Malay Mail

Cancer Diaries: Please don't take my EPF for insurance, learn from other countries instead

JULY 2 — There are things that irk me about Malaysia sometimes but I'm grateful our public healthcare exists. If it hadn't, faced with charges like RM4,000 for a biopsy and nearly RM3,000 for a PET scan, the alternate choice of flying somewhere with snow and dying from exposure on a wintery mountainside would seem far more appealing. Remembering the anguish I felt seeing just how much scans and cancer drugs cost when I started my cancer journey, I do not wish it on anyone else. Public healthcare and the generosity of friends and supporters is literally saving my life so why wouldn't I want that same healthcare available for everyone? Instead some guy in a suit is telling me no, we need to make everyone buy insurance and go to private hospitals instead. I support the notion of a national health insurance scheme but only if it's used for public healthcare. Let's call a cangkul a cangkul: the idea of extracting funds from people's EPF accounts to pay for private insurance benefits not the average Malaysian but private insurers and hospitals. Just look at their financial reporting for the last few years. They make enough money already; we don't need to give them the keys to our retirement funds. My recent dealings with the EPF was a preview of how things will be if this proposal goes through — making health withdrawals will be likely near-impossible because the funds will be frozen to pay your insurance. There are so many things that aren't taken into account with this new idea. It would only work if insurance premiums stayed low and only rose to keep pace with inflation, when in reality the older you get the more costly your premiums become. Insurance companies also usually have an age cutoff not to mention exclusions for pre-existing conditions. Will the rules for medical withdrawals instead follow insurance guidelines — with only specific procedures allowed, generic medications permitted and EPF getting to decide patients' treatment plans? We could learn instead from countries with national health insurance schemes such as China, Japan and South Korea or from Singapore's dedication to preventative healthcare. Singapore starts early by taking a more serious approach to physical education in schools while also encouraging as well as facilitating healthy lifestyle choices among its populace. Meanwhile in Malaysia, we keep hearing of school canteen operators selling slop at expensive prices to our children who are now shorter than ever thanks to an increase in stunting. Why must we constantly shame Malaysians for 'personal choices' when we never make the healthier choice the easier one? I would love for diamonds to be taxed but apparently precious gems and metals will not be included in the SST expansion but dried mushrooms, a very common ingredient in Chinese cookIng, is. Make it make sense. Public healthcare, not private insurance, has been a lifeline for many Malaysians — but proposed changes risk shifting the burden onto individuals and their retirement savings. — Picture by Raymond Manuel I could live with a tweak of tax brackets if it meant that I won't see my oncology nurse be close to tears because there are too many patients and not enough staff to handle them all. Money should never be what decides who lives or who dies. I want more doctors, more nurses, more health interventions for lower income earners and more health resources spread around the country so cancer patients in Pahang and the East Coast don't have to travel all the way to the Klang Valley to be seen. Do not tell me that is not possible or practical when more has been spent on far less important endeavours such as our version of National Service. Perhaps bean counters see the cost of public healthcare as just an expense and not an investment. What do I see? I see women far older than me, frail-looking and tiny, resolutely showing up to their appointments. I watched a bow-legged man walk hand-in-hand with his wife as she hobbled along with a cane along a hospital corridor. On Threads I read the stories of a woman with Stage 4 cancer resolutely trying to live for her children despite the money running out for her drugs, who comes in for treatment on the same days that I do. (You can donate to her here) At the hospital I see people who want to live or at the very least, are doing their best not to die. They deserve better than a system that considers withholding treatment for lack of payment a cost-savings. * This is the personal opinion of the columnist.

Dzul: Amendments beefed up medical profession
Dzul: Amendments beefed up medical profession

The Star

time20 hours ago

  • The Star

Dzul: Amendments beefed up medical profession

PETALING JAYA: The enforcement of the Medical Regulations (Amendment) 2025 and Medical (Amendment) Act 2024 (Act A1729) came into force yesterday. Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad ( pic ) said this significant achievement is part of ongoing efforts to strengthen governance, transparency and inclusiveness in the medical profession. 'The amendment to the Medical Regulations provides the necessary legal framework to implement the provisions of the amended Act. 'It creates a clear and consistent path for the recognition and registration of specialists trained through the parallel pathway programme and local specialist training. 'The amendment clarifies the role and responsibilities of the Malaysian Medical Council in ensuring that all practitioners with certain qualifications are assessed fairly and transparently,' he said in a statement. Dzulkefly also said the membership of the council have been strengthened to be more equitable in terms of its composition in accordance with the current status of the health workforce.

Specialist recognition finally granted to parallel pathway grads
Specialist recognition finally granted to parallel pathway grads

Free Malaysia Today

timea day ago

  • Free Malaysia Today

Specialist recognition finally granted to parallel pathway grads

Health minister Dzulkefly Ahmad signing the ministerial order to implement the changes to the Medical Act 1971, passed in July last year. (Facebook pic) PETALING JAYA : The health ministry has cleared the final hurdle for hundreds of medical graduates trained via the parallel pathway to be officially listed in the National Specialists Register (NSR), ending a year-long delay that had left them in limbo. Health minister Dzulkefly Ahmad announced today he had signed the ministerial order to enforce the amendments to the Medical Act 1971, with the changes coming into force on July 1. The move will allow the Malaysian Medical Council's list of recognised qualifications to now cover all the foreign universities that were involved in the production of parallel pathway specialists. In a Facebook post, Dzulkefly said the order will now be submitted to the Attorney-General's Chambers for gazetting. 'God willing, the amendments will come into force on July 1,' he said. Dzulkefly said this is not just a matter of amending the law, but also improving the future of healthcare in Malaysia. 'With this amendment, the two routes to become specialists – namely the parallel pathway and the master's programme – can be implemented in a more organised manner, with transparency in accordance with the existing laws,' he said. Senator RA Lingeshwaran, a vocal proponent of the reform, hailed the minister for following through on his pledge to resolve the issue. 'This is a victory for the hundreds of specialists who have been unable to be listed in the NSR because of bureaucracy. 'This will shorten the waiting time in hospitals to see specialists,' he told FMT. The Medical (Amendment) Bill 2024 was passed last July after mounting pressure from professional groups and MPs. The amendments followed the controversy over the MMC's refusal to recognise certain parallel pathway programmes, such as the cardiothoracic surgery qualification from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, despite a shortage of such specialists in government hospitals.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store