{
  "id": 13085575,
  "title": "Anwar: Voluntary medical insurance MediAsas to kick off in 2027, EPF Akaun Sejahtera can pay premiums",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/09/anwar-voluntary-medical-insurance-mediasas-to-kick-off-in-2027-epf",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-10-09T09:37:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Malay Mail",
    "slug": "malay-mail",
    "url": "https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2026/10/09/anwar-voluntary-medical-insurance-mediasas-to-kick-off-in-2027-epf-akaun-sejahtera-can-pay-premiums/238451"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 9 — In a bid to address the rising costs of hospital bills, Prime Minister and Finance Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced the launch of a voluntary medical insurance and takaful plan called MediAsas in January 2027. During the tabling of Budget 2027 at Dewan Rakyat, Anwar revealed that MediAsas would provide affordable medical coverage and help control hospital expenses by standardizing charges based on diagnosis types. He emphasized that by 2027, private hospitals must adopt a transparent categorization of fees to ensure patients understand their expenses and curb price distortions.\n\nMoreover, Anwar highlighted that employees under the age of 55 who contribute to the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) can utilize their Akaun Sejahtera to cover MediAsas premiums. The government plans to extend a subsidy of RM200 per worker for MediAsas premiums to small- and medium-sized enterprises with fewer than 75 employees during the initial year.\n\nIn addition to MediAsas, Anwar announced the continuation of the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) efforts to implement an electronic medical records system across all public healthcare facilities nationwide, with a budget allocation of RM1 billion.",
  "summary": "KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 9 — MediAsas, a voluntary medical insurance and takaful plan, will be launched nationwide at aff...",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Malay Mail",
        "title": "Anwar: Voluntary medical insurance MediAsas to kick off in 2027, EPF Akaun Sejahtera can pay premiums",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/09/anwar-voluntary-medical-insurance-mediasas-to-kick-off-in-2027-epf-13087850",
        "published": "2026-10-09T09:37:03.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}