Medical Premium Up Up Up

An insurance company has sent a letter to inform me of the 30% increment in the medical insurance that I have bought for more than 10 years. This will mean a RM350 increase bringing the total to RM2,000+. On top of that I have to pay GST of 6% which will amount to RM120+.

I am a retiree and I am not a civil servant. I am neither poor nor rich. I am not entitled to aid for the poor except for BR1M of RM350 this year and I am not surrounded by maids or live a life of luxury. I have contributed to the Malaysian economy and to the Inland Revenue Board. Today, I have to rely on my hard earned savings which is diminishing before my eyes. I will have to pay a lot more for my other insurances and necessary consumption. Who can I turn to?

It is very distressing to note that healthcare and a lot of medications are not GST zero rated. Those drugs that are GST exempted are few as many are replicated from the same molecule. Aging is bad enough and to fork out more money for necessary medication is terrible. Please exempt healthcare medicine from GST.

The prime minister said that healthcare in Malaysia is one of the cheapest in the world. Our income is also one of the lowest in the world. EPF had recently announced that 80% of contributors who retire today have savings below the poverty line. The ringgit weakness and the cost of living are a concern for most Malaysians.

It is sad and painful to hear of billions of ringgit lost in government projects and wastages when the rakyat have to pay more taxes. I see this as the tip of the iceberg as our quality of life declines further. Is there a solution?

Letter from a Retiree