KUALA LUMPUR — The MediAsas Plan, scheduled for launch in January 2027, will provide financial and healthcare protection for Malaysia’s middle-income M40 group amid rising medical costs.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said the scheme would offer protection through transparent cost controls, without hidden or excessive charges, Bernama reported.
“Currently, a total of 340,000 private insurance policies have been surrendered by policyholders due to not being able to pay private premiums, and (more) people opt to go to government facilities; hence, the ministry comes up with this financial safety net.
“No citizen should fall into poverty just because he or she wants medical treatment; therefore, this MADANI health financial protection comes forward by offering an affordable basic protection scheme,” he said in a Facebook post today.
Dzulkefly said a pilot project for MediAsas had been running in the Klang Valley since the end of July, allowing policyholders to make flexible payments through their Employees Provident Fund (EPF) Akaun Sejahtera, also known as Account 2, to reduce their monthly financial burden.
For vulnerable groups, he said the government had increased the allocation for the Medical Assistance Fund by 50 per cent to RM60 million from RM40 million to help cover expensive medical devices, including bone implants and heart stents.
The government has also allocated RM80 million for the Health Care Scheme for the B40 Group (PeKa B40).
Earlier, the Finance Ministry announced that MediAsas would be available as a standalone medical insurance and takaful plan, providing coverage for individuals up to the age of 85.
The scheme will offer two options: MediAsas Teras, a standard plan, and MediAsas Flexi, a standard-plus plan. – October 18, 2026