Extracted from an interview article featuring also a proponent for the social health insurance.
The article title and URL link: National health insurance the way forward, says academic
‘NHI too costly’
However, Dr Lim Chee Han, a senior researcher for the non-profit Third World Network, is opposed to the implementation of a NHI scheme.
Lim said the administrative cost of managing the scheme would be hefty – at least RM3.9 billion.
“This is more than the estimated RM2.4 billion for the health ministry’s management costs under the 2023 Budget.
“If the country switches to a NHI, it will cost RM 1.5 billion more,” he said.
Lim said Malaysia already had a good public healthcare system financed by general taxes and that it would be better to improve the public healthcare services instead.
The government should source revenue from the capital gains tax, goods and services tax, sin tax or a small percentage of income tax earmarked for healthcare, he suggested.
He said cost escalation was a concern under NHI if patients were prescribed unnecessary procedures and medication, especially by private healthcare providers. To control such costs, he said, a mechanism would have to be set up, adding another layer of cost to the healthcare system.
“If healthcare costs fail to be controlled, the NHI authority will have to increase the premiums that people pay,” he said, adding that Taiwan, South Korea and Germany were struggling to control costs and were constantly pressured to increase premiums.
Lim said the current public-funded healthcare system gave “no incentive” to anyone to overtreat a patient and if there was a shortfall, the health ministry could request for additional funds.
He acknowledged that an advantage in a NHI system was that patients would have access to private healthcare facilities besides public ones.
“But patients will have to pay extra if the charges go beyond the limit covered, either by paying it themselves or by private insurance,” he said.
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