Medical Insurance Companies & Costs

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I think you will find relevant information on this thread of this forum HERE

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I have just returned to Sydney from KL where I completed the MM2H visa process. I read about Mitsui and Tokyo Marine both offering insurance policies but never followed them up but did end up going to AAM and AIG.
After first visiting AAM full of optimism they told me that they would take at least one month to issue a certificate or policy and sent me to AIG. This policy has to be done via AAM as AIG don't issue directly although they do underwrite the policy.
When I visited AIG they told me that was rubbish and that I should return to AAM and insist that they liase with AIG who would issue within a few days.
I ended up at the AAM office in KL on Jalan Semarak...quite close to KLCC..about Rm3 by taxi or 20 minute hot walk. They were exceptionally helpfull in there and helped me fill the forms, fake my wife's signature and use a friends car details and permanent address. You will need an address and a car type and registration number as you need to join the Automobile Association to take on the insurance. They don't seem to care whose car you use as long as you have the details. Unfortunately it is the person who is covered and not the car so it is no use to your friend when driving his car ...only to you if you are driving his car !!!  The fee for the AAM is Rm125. Once that is done you can then sign for the insurance at Rm20 per month. It's called Medimax plus as stated in previous posts here. The most basic of cover is:
Self : 10 per month
Self + spouse 20 per month
Self + spouse + 1 child : 26 per month
Family (no mention of limit on sprogs) :Rm33 per month

As I was only taking out insurance for the purpose of MM2H and probably won't be back in My for 10 months this basic policy was fine. They did say that the validity would not extend beyond 90 days outside of Malaysia per trip...so saying that it is a worldwide policy I presume but the benefits wouldn't go very far in other countries.

They then sent all the paperwork to AIG....Jalan Ampang, KL. (Easiest access is via LRT , Masjid Jamek, come out of station and cross the road to the road directly in front of the station..ie not left or right andafter crossing the main road you can see the AIG building. Walk to the junction straight ahead and turn left and keep walking and you can't miss it...5-10 minutes) .
AIG were most helpful and phoned me several times to keep me posted and to ask small details like wife's date of birth etc. They told me when it would be ready and phoned on that day to ask me to call in to collect the policy. Don't forget to ask for a certified true copy with a few stamps etc. The lady who does this stuff at AIG works from counter 12. I apologise but I have lost details of her name.... which she gave me in case she could help with any property deals I might do...everyone is a real estate agent it seems!!
So all up it was 3-4 days. Very helpful people. Rm125 for AAM. Rm240 for AIG via AAM . Another bit of the jigsaw solved.

Just in case anyone struggles with the medical report: I went to Bangsar station and as you turn to your left past the bus station there is a Klinik there where they too were most helpful. I saw the doc straight away and paid him Rm100 for the two reports duely stamped. BTW ...on the report it says the 'Klinik's offical seal' ...I checked...they mean rubber stamp. I could have got this for Rm 60 but forgot to ask after a long and tiring day. Still, another bit of the jigsaw done.

If anyone wants further details then please contact me.

AIG also do another policy called RinggitNet..which is more comprehensive with a cost structure related to ages of both partners etc. I have a copy of that if anyone needs costs but for me aged 57 and my wife aged 52 it would have been about Rm1385  for the most basic plan of Rm50,000 cover (then Rm1565 for Rm100.000 cover and then Rm1697 for Rm150,000 cover but all subject to ages of both partners )but does look quite good. The higher age bracket does however seem to be 60-64. Again I have a leaflet about that policy if anyone wants more details...


Loopi.

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Hi Loopi,

Seems like you had a longwinded and difficult introduction to health insurance in Malaysia. I could be wrong but it seems that your difficulties may have arisen due to choosing AAM. AAM are predominantly a motoring organisation who do a few other things on the side. I am sure that if you had used AIG (an insurance company) everything would have gone through more smoothly. There would have been no need for motor insurance and only a contact address would be required.

If you had done the motor insurance separately I'm sure the car (any driver) would have been insured and not a single named driver.

This was only my experience, maybe others can comment.

BTW we have the Ringitt Net policy with some exclusion due to diabetes, cost of policy was around RM1350, seems OK ,. Dont know what its like if you have to claim.

Regards

Bob

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Hi Qjumper,
The problem was that AIG don't do the cheapo policy..they only underwrite it and it has to be issued by AAM. The link to AAM wasn't for insurance but for breakdown cover...it's like the AA in the UK or NRMA in Australia.
It was one of the easiest parts of the whole deal and the folks at both organisations couldn't have been more helpful. The whole deal apart from a bit of walking was done in less than half an hour...once I knew where to go.
Loopi.

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Sorry I must have misunderstood your post. We certainly had great service from AIG when we took out or medical policy.

Bob

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Hi,

Here is a question- do you need to renew the insurance once it is up? It is pretty worthless ( we have the AIG policy) in reality. Does anybody check? Or can you wait for the 10 year renewal visa?

Cheers

Brian

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hi,

Just to be pedantic - I thought that AIG was part of AIA rather than AAM. The AIG and AIA offices are next door to each other in KL, and they interconnect.

My own experience with AIG was superfast and helpful. In and out in about 1 hour with policy and certified true copy.

Letting the policy run-out after the MM2H application, and only seeking to get hold of a policy just prior to renewing at the 5-year or 10-year expiry period seems to be a matter of individual choice.  And degree of appetite for risk and chance.

MoTour doesn't seem to have the resources to check on everything (if they have they can let us know here).  Anyway a person may wish to look around for better/different insurance cover as they get to know Malaysia and the ways of life here. So change is probably inevitable.

regards, Scott

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Can it survive the current turmoil?

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122156561931242905.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Time will tell, but the big question is....How did THEY get into this mess in the first place?

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Big news here in N.America. The Co is still waiting to see if it can get a life line from the Feds...according to the news this morning if it doesn't get that by tomorrow the Co will fold up and ALL the contracts it has worldwide will not be honored....I was thinking of those who have insurance with them or via them.....check with your ins agents 

Regards,
BB

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hi,

I've also been reading about AIG. They're the underwriters for the Ringgit Net policy.

I think that it's best to keep about RM30,000 under the bed for things like heart surgery, long-term medical problems etc.

For the rest, go to Malaysian government hospitals.

regards Scott

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An old thread but has anyone got any up-to-date recommendations or don't-touch-them-with-a-bargepole thoughts on any medical insurance policies for us senior folk?

I followed a couple of old links that QJumper posted and one of those, Kurnia, posts a full brochure with prices online which is refreshing.  Anybody with them?  Any thoughts?

I also recall that bb posted about AIA in Penang.  Their website is thoroughly annoying and they don't seem to publish prices online 

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We have used Axa. 

Their policy has pretty good limits and the premiums are quite competative too

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Thanks SAG.  I just took a look at the AXA Malaysia website.  I couldn't see any prices on there but they did show all the benefits.  Regrettably, under the FAQs, it states entry age 1 to 59, so that will rule out my other half 

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Ha medical insurance... After much research we decided to keep ourselves insured in the Netherlands. The reason? Although medical insurance is cheap in Malaysia there where to many exclusions, annual limits, lifetime limits etc. to our liking. We where not sure if the (low) premiums we would pay would buy us an insurance where we could claim if something really went wrong. That is why we have an expat insurance in Netherlands with a high deductible:

https://www.oomverzekeringen.nl/eng.aspx

Small injuries we will not claim but it is good to know that when something really goes wrong we have a proper insurance.

As for the ringett Net policy from AIG. They aren't selling that one anymore.
An alternitive could be MSIG's Healthcare International Insurance:

http://www.msig.com.my/Personal/product.asp?pageid=3301

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As I was 60 when I moved here I was severely limited to what insurance choices I had. I finally ended up with Kurnia insurance. They have policies with good benefits and reasonable rates. I made an inquiry online and a representative contacted me right away. I recently renewed my policy with them. For those over 60 there's not much we can do unless we want to pay outrageous premiums for international insurance.