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Jeff,

It's the MediCard! The number of claims and costs have exceeded the actuaries' expectation. Whether it is coincidence or the fact that ING cardholders preferred the two hospitals is up for guess. However, Insurance companies have threshold and would have to mitigate the excessive cost.

I am not surprised.

I am guilty of supporting one of the listed hospital.

Before checkin for a quick Appendicitis operation. I was quoted about 3k for the 30 mins job. I was told it is a routine operation with min risks.

Then i told them "I got medicard". Upon my checkout, they have already submitted all my bills to my Insurance company without my approval or knowledge at lightning speed.I was upset but to weak to fight then.

Final damage 6.6K.

Again, it happens to recently with another 100% markup at the same hospital for another...

Now, i read your article, it makes me feeling guilty and being unethical for not speaking out on behalf of my insurer. Cutting corners? NO. Rippoff? YES!!!

I promise to try others in future and to make sure my insurer get a good deal.

there's good and bad though;

ING did not black-list these hospitals; it is only that when u have paid cash and being hospitalized; you can still claim up to the full-amount charge subject to any cap.

But if you ask anyone whom have any medical plan; beware that unless your agents have been informing you about updating your coverage; the whole premium you are paying yearly might not be enough to offset the rising cost of medication+hospitalization.

Normally; most buyers would have a very small lifetime limit of RM75000 - 150,000 depending on whether there are any additional coverage to up the limit but this is based on the assumption that you only have 10% of your disposable income to be used for insurance.

I was recently being hospitalized for dengue and the resulting complications and medical bill has gone as high as RM6000-7000 for a 7 days+ stay plus treatment for medical allergy/complications. However, as I did not have my card around; it will have to be a case of full/partial reimbursement.

Luckily it is only dengue and not any life-long medical complications. Otherwise, the above could have been a barred to me to allow me to top-up the plan to extend my limit.

Previously my limit was at all paltry sum of RM75,000 but now I have upped it 3x just in case to deal with the rising cost of medication+hospitalization.

Last heard is that the discount being pressed for is nothing as high as some lawyers whom are still giving discount for their legal fees in conveyancing.

what do u expect when hospitals look upon patients with medical insurance with their saliva drooling. They charge RM3.00 for a toilet roll used during operation to soak up blood and suck your blood at the same time.

And I am not even talking abt Pantai or Sunway.

Cheats makes all kinds of claims sometimes in cahoots with the insurance agents and the hospitals are happy to work hand in glove with them for the extras they can charge. In the end the honest insured are the ones who gets penalized with higher premiums, more paperwork and restrictions imposed by the insurance companies who are themselves not altogether blameless.

Other hospitals are also at fault. About three years ago, I was admitted to a private hospital (which shall remain nameless; the one opposite the army camp along Jln Ampang in KL). After submitting my ING card, the lady said "no more single room but we do have executive room which your card can cover fully". Incidentally the exec room costs RM250/night & my coverage just happens to be RM250.

On the way to the exec room, I went past several single rooms which were not occupied...

My wife who works at the hospital said the doctors would always charge their patients "Class A" rate for cases where medicard is involved.

I dread the days when most of the major hospitals stop accepting medicard. Although I support "market forces", I think something must be done to control the escalating cost of medical care.

'Sicko' hospitals on the rise?

http://tinyurl.com/3az4cq

http://tinyurl.com/2knwyr

my daughter's appendicitis operation with 4 nites lodging came to RM5.6k and it wasnt even in SUnway or Pantai.

It is a mixture of these hospitals not agreeing to a discount demand that ing had made on all private hospitals, and the cost factors.

It is pertinent here to point out that the disparity in charges is usually NOT padding and overcharging, but charging of full rates. That means, while there is a recommended professional charges by the doctors, most doctors will give a discount, sometimes significant discount to their out of pocket patients, to help them. In the case of insurances companies and corporate clients, such discounts are not usually given.

These are the facts. Whether they are right to do or not, I leave it to your own conclusions. For perspective, do you get discounts from your lawyers, accountants, plumblers, electricians?

In fact, if Malaysian keep voting a sicko government in place, one day, they will find that can't that sick as the choice, beside death.

A National Health plan similar to what in EU are long dated. When medical insurance start eating up big part of the Malaysian income, it will be a sorry state for all Malaysian.

I think big companies are getting increasingly 'lan si'. Although I don't blame ING for delisting these 2 hospitals based but then again, I too hold ING and the hospitals accountable and responsible for transferring the cost on the consumers.

However, after all that is being said and done, big companies are very lan si!

Just watched the documentary by Michael Moore, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0386032/. The situation is alarming. In brief, "Health Care" is a business to country like USA and now our Malaysia seemed to follow suit. But Heath Care isn't a business in country like Canada, UK, Cuba, France, as pointed out in the documentary.

I fully aware the cost of Health Care in Malaysia. My wife is a transplanted patient. I am very surprise by the cost of medicine she has to purchase every month. In Malaysia, some part of the Health Care system is still like UK, but it is slowly being destroyed and replaced with American one. And American themselves find it insulting with their current Health Care system!

As pointed out by Michael Moore, why Health Care isn't operating like a social welfare institution way, such as public library, bomba, police, etc?

Perhaps we need to organize a small gathering with concerned people to view this documentary together. Is this film, Sicko, banned from screening in Malaysia?

it is plain simple. First they screw up the public services and then call for privatisation to suck us dry. Look at Education. The costs has sky-rocketed and we are stuck with lousy Universities.

Hi Jeff,

I called up the guys at ING, a Miss Janet confirmed with me that both hospital is STILL in their panel list.

I hope MalaysiaKini did not report this without the right facts and figures as this might mislead the public perception of ING.

Disclaimer: I don't work for ING! :-D

Cheers!

The increase in healthcare cost is multifactorial. The doctors' fees which is only one part of the final patient's bill has been stagnant since 2002 if a doctor had followed the MMA Fee Schedule. The doctors' fees are now controlled by the Private Health Care Facilities Act and is based on the MMA Fee Schedule of 2002. For the ING to ask for discount on the 2002 Fees is disingenuous considering the fact that everything has increased in price since 2002. The fact that ING is asking for discount from only doctors smacks of some collusion between the insurance company and the corporate bodies that own the private hospitals.

I am surprised that even the doctors who are protesting the new agreement with ING have not raised the issue of steeply escalating hospital charges. The consumer bodies and perhaps the Minister of Health should look into this.

Ultimately, health care is a fundamental right of every human being and the respective governments should provide this for its people. Leaving this fundamental right to the vagaries of the private sector tantamount to dereliction of duty of the government to its people.

As far as Malaysia is concerned the much awaited report on health care financing and its implementation is long overdue. Socialized medicine is the way to go where every citizen is not deprived of health care he or she requires. Private health insurance should only be used to request for better quality accommodation in the health care facilities. Note: I did not say better quality of care which again should be given to all patients irrespective of class of accommodation or type of payor.

Jeff,

I can concur with chuaobee as I had emailed ING customer service and their response by a Fennie Leow was the 2 hospitals are still in their panel until further notice.

chuanobee :- I hope MalaysiaKini did not report this without the right facts and figures as this might mislead the public perception of ING.

Note : I also do not work with ING, but is their policy holder.

JEFF OOI says: Thanks. Will check with Malaysiakini.