12th November 2026 - 3 min read
Health insurance prices went up 9.1% in 2025, while the price of a clinic visit rose just 0.6%. That’s according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), which published its Annual Health Price Index 2025 report on 10 November 2026.
Last year, staying covered got more expensive much faster than getting treated. The price of health insurance jumped 9.1% in 2025, after not rising at all in 2024.
Treatment costs rose far less. A clinic visit cost just 0.6% more, so health insurance rose 15 times faster. Dental visits and hospital stays each rose by 1.5% or less. Medicines rose the most among treatments, at 4.5%, but that’s still only half the rise in health insurance. Across all of healthcare, prices rose 3.0%, up from 1.3% in 2024.
| Item | 2024 | 2025 |
| Health insurance | 0.0% | 9.1% |
| Medicines, vaccines and other pharmaceutical products | 2.2% | 4.5% |
| Herbal medicines and homeopathic products | 0.7% | 4.5% |
| Preventive care services, including vaccinations | 3.2% | 2.8% |
| Diagnostic imaging and medical lab services | 1.4% | 2.0% |
| Medical diagnostic products | 0.3% | 1.6% |
| Outpatient dental services | 2.3% | 1.5% |
| Inpatient care (hospital stays) | 0.3% | 1.4% |
| Health supplements | 2.6% | 1.1% |
| Outpatient care, such as clinic visits (excluding dental) | 0.6% | 0.6% |
| All healthcare | 1.3% | 3.0% |
On average, medical insurance coverage that cost RM100 in 2024 cost RM109.10 in 2025. Your own increase could be higher or lower. We reported on DOSM’s early version of this data in July 2026, and a few rates have changed slightly since then.
The RinggitPlus Malaysian Financial Literacy Survey 2026 looked at 1,096 people with both life insurance or takaful and a personal medical card. In the past 12 months, 24% of them switched to a cheaper plan, reduced their coverage, or cancelled because of higher insurance or takaful costs. Another 58% kept their existing plan.
Across everyone surveyed, 36% said they don’t have a medical card. Another 20% rely only on a medical card from their employer, which usually ends when they leave the company.
Since December 2024, measures from Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) have kept yearly increases under 10% for most policyholders. These measures run until the end of 2026. After that, yearly increases no longer have to stay under 10%.
If your renewal notice shows a higher premium, you have a few choices before you decide to cancel. You can ask your insurer about a lower plan. Another choice is a plan with a deductible. This means you pay the first part of a hospital bill yourself, and your premium is lower. The insurer still pays the rest of the bill, up to your plan’s limit.
If you don’t have a medical card, or your premium is getting harder to pay, there’s another option on the way. MediAsas, the government-backed basic medical plan, opens to the public in January 2027. The Ministry of Finance has put indicative premiums at around RM60 to RM550 a month for people who join up to age 70. Final prices will be set before launch, and the plan’s terms may still change. EPF members under 55 will also be able to pay MediAsas premiums with their Akaun Sejahtera savings.
MediAsas comes in two plans. MediAsas Teras covers up to RM100,000 a year for people under 60. At a hospital in the MediAsas network, you pay the first RM500 of each illness. MediAsas Fleksi covers up to RM300,000 a year. You pay the first RM10,000 of your bills each year at a hospital in the network.
Compare medical cards on RinggitPlus, including deductible medical cards, to find cover that fits your budget.
Follow our official WhatsApp channel for the latest money tips and updates.
As a creative content writer, Eloise has covered finance, business, lifestyle topics, and even moonlights as a singer-songwriter outside of RinggitPlus. Her current interests are learning the best ways to optimise spending and credit card hacks to gain more airline miles.
Comments (0)