Malaysia’s Lower Income Workers Finally Get Health Insurance – and It’s Free!

Malaysia’s Finance Ministry launched a free national health scheme earlier this year for the country’s bottom 40 percentile (B40) income group – offering them medical insurance and protection from 36 critical illnesses.

The B40 National Protection Scheme started with an initial fund size of around $480 million, expected to cover 4.1 million people aged between 18 and 55 over five years.

“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 [people’s] wellbeing,” says Malaysian Minister Lim Guan Eng.

Those eligible don’t need a medical examination to apply for the scheme – they may simply register online and will be notified of their application status via text messaging.