The National Association of Malaysian Life Insurance and Family Takaful Advisors (Namlifa) has called on the government to tackle the widening price gap between insured patients and those paying out of pocket at private hospitals, warning that the growing disparity threatens the long-term viability of medical insurance, reported The Star.
Namlifa president Krishnan Appanu urged authorities to consider establishing a national social insurance scheme, implementing hospital price regulations, and—most crucially—demonstrating the political will to ensure that healthcare remains focused on patient welfare rather than profit.
He noted that the issue has persisted for years, burdening policyholders with inflated medical bills, as some private hospitals continue to impose higher charges on insured individuals.
Mr Krishnan urged the Health Ministry to step in and regulate hospital pricing to ensure fairness, adding that Namlifa has been receiving complaints from policyholders about inconsistencies in billing.
“The government must take immediate action to monitor and standardise these charges (as) without intervention, insurance premiums will continue to rise, making healthcare coverage increasingly unaffordable,” he said, reported The Star.