Choosing the best medical card is a big deal as you would want to get the most out of your insurance. When it comes to medical cards, you are spoiled for choice as there are many plans available in the market. To help you decide, we’ll be sharing a few important tips to choose the best medical card.
What is a medical card?
Before you purchase a medical card, it only makes sense if you first understand what a medical card is.
A medical card is an insurance plan that pays for your hospital admission, surgeries or medical treatments according to your policy. In order to enjoy the coverage, you have to pay an amount (called premium) to your insurance provider either monthly, quarterly, half-yearly or yearly depending on your payment mode.
Depending on your selected policy, these are two plans that will give you different types of compensation:
1. Hospitalization and surgical plan. This insurance pays for your hospital admission, surgeries and medical treatment bills.
2. Hospital income plan. Instead of paying for your hospital admission, surgeries and medical treatment bills, this insurance pays you a fixed amount on a regular basis for every day that you are treated in a hospital up to a certain number of days.
It’s also important to note that a medical card can be either a standalone policy or a rider (add-on or extra benefit) attached to a comprehensive or investment policy.
Read this article for the differences between a standalone medical card and a medical rider as well as other important things you need to know about medical cards.
Tips to choose the best medical card
As mentioned, there are just so many medical cards available for you to choose from. So how do you choose one for yourself? Here are eight useful tips to choose the best medical card.
1. Look for the highest annual and lifetime limits
An annual limit is the maximum amount you can claim from your insurer in a year. Meanwhile, a lifetime limit is the maximum amount you can claim from your insurer in a lifetime provided your premiums are paid and your policy is still in force.
It’s important that you pay attention to these limits as they determine the amount of coverage you are entitled to claim in a year or a lifetime. Your insurance will no longer cover your medical expenses after you’ve reached your annual or lifetime limit.
Some insurers offer as high as RM2.1 million for annual coverage. Some even offer unlimited annual or lifetime limit. While it’s better that you choose a medical card with unlimited annual and lifetime limits, these benefits usually come with higher premiums. So don’t burden yourself. Choose a medical card that best fits your budget.
2. Choose a medical card that covers pre-hospitalization consultations and tests
Need a second or third opinion before committing to any doctor’s recommendations? This benefit allows you to get consultations and tests by multiple doctors.
Your medical card will cover the different consultations and tests provided they are related to the same illness to be treated. Another condition is you have to obtain the consultations and tests within a duration stipulated by your insurance, for example, 60 or 90 days.
Say that you experience terrible back pain. You then consult a doctor who, after examining your back pain condition, recommends laminectomy, a surgery to remove parts of your ligaments in your back. While your medical card will cover the surgery, you would like to get a second opinion from another doctor. In that case, your insurance provides a fixed amount of time for you to get a second or third opinion on the options to treat your back pain. Your medical card will cover all the different consultations and tests, provided you get admitted to a hospital before your consultation time is up. So do inquire whether your preferred insurer offers this benefit.
3. Choose a medical card that covers post-hospitalization treatments
After a medical treatment or surgery, you may need to go back to the hospital for follow-ups or any subsequent treatments. The good thing is some medical cards also cover post-hospitalization treatments. You can claim for the expenses provided your post-hospitalization treatments are related to the medical condition that requires you to be admitted to the hospital in the first place.
How long will your medical card cover your post-hospitalization treatment?
Depending on insurance providers, some cover up to 180 days of post-hospitalization treatments. Keep in mind that your annual or lifetime limit will apply to this.
4. Consider a medical card that covers home nursing care
There are also medical cards that go a step further by covering home nursing care. Say that one day you suffer from a disability or medical condition that requires you to be attended to 24/7 (god forbid!), you may need home nursing care.
Insurers will cover home nursing care up to a certain number of days and coverage amount. Some insurers cover as much as it costs up to six months or 180 days.
The purpose of this home nursing care benefit is mainly to give you or your family time to arrange for longer-term options such as having a caretaker to look after you until you get back on your feet.
5. Consider the hospital room and board cost
Generally, room and board refer to the cost of staying in a hospital room which includes the room, essential supplies and meals provided. When looking for a medical card, this is one of the criteria that you have to consider. Pay attention to these two things:
- The coverage amount for hospital room and board
- The number of days that insurers cover for hospital room and board
How much do different hospital rooms and boards cost?
Quite like staying in a hotel, you can choose a single standard room, a single deluxe room or even a suite for your hospital stay. More affordable medical cards offer either four-bedded or double-bedded rooms. Whether it’s a shared or private room, what matters most is that the medical plan you choose fits your budget. To give you an idea of how much each room costs, here’s a price list for rooms in a selected private hospital in Selangor (you may refer to this source for more room price lists according to states.)
| Room type | Single deluxe | Single suite | Single standard | Double-bedded | Four-bedded |
| Room rate per day (RM) | 280 | 850 | 230 | 160 | 95 |
Insurers offer different coverage amounts for hospital room and board. Some insurers offer RM250 a day for up to 150 days. Some others can offer even a higher coverage amount. So depending on your budget, do choose a plan that can offer you the highest coverage.
6. Consider the room and board cost for the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and High Dependency Unit (HDU)
You may be more familiar with the term ICU than the term HDU. What is the difference between the ICU and HDU? The main difference between the two is the nurse to patient ratio.
Intensive Care Unit (ICU). The nurse to patient ratio shall be 1:1 or more in complex cases.
For ventilated patients and non-ventilated patients, the nurse to patient ratio shall be 1:1 and 1:2 respectively.
High Dependency Unit (HDU). The nurse to patient ratio shall be 1:2-3 patients. The HDUs are for patients who need more intensive observation, treatment and nursing care than is possible in a general ward but slightly less than that given to patients in the ICUs.
In comparison to the ICU and HDU, the nurse to patient ratio in a general ward is two nurses to up to 30 patients.
How much do ICU and HDU rooms and boards cost?
The rates vary across private hospitals. Here are the rates for the ICU and HDU rooms and boards in a selected private hospital in Selangor (you may refer to this source for more room price lists according to states.)
| Room type | ICU | HDU |
| Room rate per day (RM) | 450 | 280 |
Some insurers will cover your whole ICU or HDU room and board for up to five months or 150 days within a policy year. Some will even cover the cost for up to six months or 180 days. So do compare the amount and duration that insurers will cover for the ICU or HDU, before committing to any medical card.
7. Opt for a medical card that provides daily guardian benefits
If you’re admitted to a hospital, you may want or need a family member or friend to accompany you at the hospital. If you choose a medical card that provides daily guardian benefits, your family member or friend can get reimbursement for a certain amount spent on food and accommodation when accompanying you. This can relieve their financial burden.
Some insurers offer up to RM250 a day for up to five months or 150 days within a policy year for daily guardian benefits. So do get your insurance agents to clarify the coverage for daily guardian benefits before settling with any insurance provider.
8. Choose a medical card that best meets your needs and budget
Now that you’re aware of the best features of a medical card, you need to factor in your budget. This is so that you can meet both your needs and budget.
How much should you spend on your medical card?
This is one of the most frequent questions that we get. Some suggest spending between 3-10% of your monthly take-home income on your medical card.
The truth is it depends on your financial capacity. If you can afford RM200 a month for your medical card, then that is the amount that you should spend.
Before deciding the amount to spend on your medical card, write down your take-home income and deduct your monthly expenses from the income. The balance is the amount you can ideally spend on your medical card. If you get a medical card attached to a term life insurance, for example, also consider that your premium may increase depending on medical inflation.
Conclusion
Choosing the best medical card may require you to spend more time doing your research and consulting insurance agents to better understand multiple medical plans. You may follow the important tips above to secure the best medical card. We suggest you get an all-in-one life and medical insurance for comprehensive protection through a single plan. Visit Bjak to secure the best life and medical insurance.
(Sources: ICUunwrapped, Malaysia’s Ministry of Health, moremoney.my, MyPF)
