PUTRAJAYA: The National B40 Protection Scheme will offer free health insurance and takaful protection to qualified low-income households or B40 beginning Jan 1, 2019, with an initial fund size of RM2 billion as announced in the tabling of Budget 2019.
Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng (pix) said this scheme will be provided free to the B40 as assistance to cope with hardship arising from health issues, critical illness and hospitalisation that may adversely impact the income streams of their households.
“The scheme will provide free medical coverage to qualified recipients against 36 critical illnesses. Recipients will receive payment for up to RM8,000, with disbursement over a period that will be announced,” Lim said in a statement today.
The scheme also gives daily payments as income replacement in the event of hospitalisation for up to 14 days at RM50 per day or RM700 per year. The scheme will provide medical coverage for five years to the targeted recipients, benefitting individuals between the ages of 18 to 55 within the 4.1 million B40 households.
Coverage under the scheme commences Jan 1, 2019, and the scheme’s registration and customer support services will be in operation from March 1, 2019. Registration can be made electronically over the internet without the use of paper forms and no medical examination is required for qualification checks.
All qualified recipients under the scheme will be notified through SMS messages. Further information on the mechanism and implementation of the scheme will be disclosed when it is officially launched in early 2019.
“This scheme is a significant step taken by the Pakatan Harapan government to establish a comprehensive social safety net from the aspect of inclusive health insurance and takaful coverage for low-income groups for free. This scheme, the first of its kind in Malaysia, is guided by the Pakatan Harapan Election Manifesto to improve access to much-needed health services, lighten the cost of living burden, and improve the rakyat’s wellbeing,” Lim said.
