Healthcare - EPP 1: Mandating private insurance for foreign workers
Case for change
- Majority of 3.1 million foreign workers work in low tech/ manual labor; ~50% of foreign workers are uninsured and those insured are under covered.
- 19% bills (amounting to ~RM 64 million) incurred by foreigners at government hospitals unpaid over the past five years putting additional strain on MY healthcare costs.
- Malaysia stands to gain in international standing by increasing insurance coverage for foreign workers from current levels, which are inferior to peers (e.g., Singapore, Thailand), and mandating private health insurance for foreign workers.
Strategic Approach
- Mandate private health insurance for all foreign workers.
- Hospitalisation and Surgical Scheme for Foreign Workers (SPIKPA) is mandatory medical coverage for all foreign workers effective 1 January 2011.
- Premium for domestic foreign maids to be paid by employers. Premium for workers in other sector can either be paid by employers or employees.
- The Sarawak State Secretary has granted approval for the foreign workers in all sectors in Sarawak to be covered under Foreign Workers Health Insurance starting from the 3rd of December 2012.
- A total of 1.46 million foreign workers are currently covered under the scheme as at 30 September 2012.
2012/10/31
Status:
Operational
- GROSS NATIONAL INCOME (GNI)
RM171.3 m
- JOBS
-