KUALA LUMPUR, August 13 — Several insurance/takaful agents have urged Malaysians to understand the benefits, and terms and conditions of MediAsas before purchasing or switching to the government-designed medical plan.
They highlighted Bank Negara Malaysia’s (BNM) July 29 FAQ on the “pilot” version of MediAsas that listed 35 major exclusions – such as pre-existing conditions, congenital conditions, and mental disorders – besides a seven-year “no look-back” moratorium, RM100,000/RM150,000/RM300,000 annual limits, waiting period, deductibles/copayments, hospital network, room and board, and non-guaranteed premiums or contributions.
Some translated CodeBlue’s summary of the MediAsas FAQ into Bahasa Malaysia or Chinese on their Facebook pages.
MediAsas, which also comes with a takaful version, costs about RM60 to RM550 in monthly premiums. MediAsas Teras provides an RM100,000 and RM150,000 annual limit of coverage for policyholders aged 59 and younger, and older people respectively.
“Don’t choose it just because it looks cheap,” a takaful agent wrote on Threads.
“If you already have a medical card, don’t hastily terminate it or switch. Make a comparison first.”
He pointed out that MediAsas Fleksi with an RM300,000 annual limit comes with RM10,000 and RM15,000 deductibles per annum for treatment at Preferred In-Network Providers and Out-of-Network Providers respectively.
“If contributions are still affordable and you can get benefits that better suit your needs, with a lower deductible or better protection structure, why not pick the more suitable option?”
‘Understand, Compare, Decide’
Another takaful agent highlighted MediAsas’ exclusion of pre-existing conditions and a potential requirement for additional medical assessments if a person with pre-existing illness wanted to subscribe to the product that is fully underwritten by insurance and takaful operators (ITOs).
He also pointed out that BNM’s FAQ states that premiums or contributions will change based on attained age and that MediAsas can be subject to future repricing, based on medical costs, claims experience, and regulatory requirements.
“So don’t make a long-term decision simply based on prices that look cheap today,” he wrote on Threads.
“Is MediAsas good? Potentially, yes. It can be a meaningful option for Malaysians who need basic private medical protection and want a more affordable structure. But: affordable ≠ automatically better. And your existing medical card isn’t automatically better either.
“The real question is: ‘Which plan is more suitable for ME?’ Look beyond the RM/monthly. Understand → Compare → Decide.”
An insurance agent similarly wrote on Threads that the one thing he learned as an insurance agent was that a higher premium didn’t automatically mean better coverage and a lower premium didn’t necessarily mean it was the right plan.
“What really matters is understanding what you’re covered for, what’s excluded, and the terms & conditions,” he said.
BNM’s own ABC advice about buying medical and health insurance/takaful (MHIT) products urges consumers to Assess their needs and ask the right questions; Browse options available; and Choose wisely from options provided.
“Compare products: Look at coverage limits, benefits payable, renewability, exclusions, and waiting periods,” the central bank posted on Instagram last September. “Read the fine print: Understand your policy terms, renewal rules, coverage details, and claim eligibility.”
“Hot Tip: Go through the product disclosure sheet. It highlights key information of the MHIT product – know exactly what you are signing up for,” BNM added.
Serious Medical Episode Can Cost Hundreds Of Thousands Of Ringgit
A woman compared MediAsas Fleksi (RM300,000 annual limit) with an RM3 million medical card, highlighting MediAsas’ cost-sharing features, network restrictions, and a co-insurance of up to 20 per cent on specified cancer drugs, among other limitations.
“A RM3 million medical card, depending on its specific terms, can provide substantially higher financial protection and broader benefits.
“So if the difference in premium is not enormous, we need to ask: ‘Are we really getting better value by choosing the cheaper-looking product?’” she wrote on Facebook.
She pointed out that although an RM300,000 annual limit might sound “enormous”, health insurance is designed for the “extraordinary year – the year when something goes seriously wrong”, citing serious illnesses like cancer, major heart surgery, stroke, organ failure, complex neurological conditions, long ICU stays, and multiple surgeries.
“A serious medical episode can consume hundreds of thousands of ringgit surprisingly quickly. So the question should not be: ‘Can I afford MediAsas?’. It should be: ‘What level of protection am I getting for the premium I am paying?’”
The woman also stressed that lower premiums do not automatically mean “better value”, which is particularly important for senior citizens aged 60 and above.
“At this stage of life, medical insurance is not about getting the cheapest premium. It is about protecting retirement savings.
“If I have to pay RM500 more a month, but that additional premium gives me substantially greater protection against a potentially RM500,000 or RM1 million medical event, perhaps that is not an unnecessary expense. Perhaps it is financial protection for the money I have spent a lifetime accumulating.”
Another woman, who isn’t an insurance agent, said she wouldn’t cancel an existing comprehensive medical card now in anticipation of MediAsas that is planned for public launch in January 2027, posting on Facebook: “MediAsas = affordable medical coverage, but you share more of the medical bill.”
A unit manager with an insurance company similarly urged consumers to get advice before surrendering their existing medical policies for MediAsas, highlighting pre-existing condition exclusions, non-guaranteed premiums, the same waiting periods as conventional plans, and copayments.
A takaful agent described MediAsas as a positive step towards making medical coverage more affordable and sustainable, but stressed that “affordable” did not necessarily mean “more comprehensive”.
“With deductibles, copayments, network restrictions, exclusions and medical repricing, consumers still need to understand what they are actually covered for and what they may have to pay out of pocket,” she wrote on Facebook.
“At the end of the day, it’s not about choosing the cheapest medical card. It’s about choosing the right level of protection for your needs and financial capacity. And yes, please always read the terms and conditions before making a decision.”
‘Nothing Special’ About MediAsas
A few people expressed shock at MediAsas’ moratorium of seven years from the Risk Commencement Date, after which claims cannot be contested on the grounds of non-disclosure or misrepresentation, as they compared it to an unwritten two-year waiting period for other medical plans in the market.
“Current ILP (investment-linked products) have a contestable period of 2 years from Risk Commencement Date but MediAsas have 7 years…OMG…” a man commented on Facebook.
Other insurance/takaful agents described MediAsas as “nothing special”, finding the government-designed product to be just like regular medical plans that should be purchased when one is young and healthy.
“Personally, I still don’t see any difference between MediAsas and existing products in the market,” a takaful and health consultant posted on Facebook.
“I assume that monthly contributions will be 30 to 40 per cent cheaper than what’s available now because there isn’t an agency system and the takaful operator doesn’t need to pay agent commissions.
“If it’s too cheap, there’s a risk of too frequent repricing and in the end, the price will be the same as the market, unless the government is providing a mechanism to sustain and support it (which I may not know about).”
Some insurance/takaful agents questioned why the government created yet another health insurance product, saying the main problem was excessive hospital charges.
“Why the heck you add another protection body / company that have almost the same concept of plan from other insurance / takaful operator? Crazy how our politicians think.”
A person commented about MediAsas: “It is just another commercial insurance with government logo on it. Why do we need it?”
