On July 6, the Joint Ministerial Committee on Private Healthcare Costs (JMC) announced MediAsas as the brand name of the Base Medical and Health Insurance and Takaful (MHIT) product. 

In general, MediAsas is good public policy and a meaningful product, so Malaysians and Malaysia should welcome it. To elaborate, this op-ed explores the implications of MediAsas, how Malaysia can implement MediAsas more effectively, and how Malaysia can use MediAsas as the foundation stone for future reforms to our health system.

MediAsas: A foundation stone for future health reforms

On March 31, the Gig Workers Act (Act 872) came into force, extending legal protections to about 1.6 million gig workers in Malaysia. The road to this Act was long. Discussions to formalise gig work began as early as 2020/21, well before the bill was tabled in Dewan Rakyat in August 2025. However...

State Of Health: How to expand healthcare coverage for gig workers

Predictions are fraught with uncertainties and imperfect but can help us understand how the Malaysian health system will be financed in 2026 and 2027. We will try to “predict what will happen” instead of “describing what should happen” (which tends to be more idealistic or prescriptive in nature)...

State Of Health: Three predictions for Malaysia’s health system financing in 2026

These are not ordinary times for Malaysia’s health system. In 2025, there are five highly significant policy decisions that may determine the path for the nation’s health system in the coming decades. This article will examine these five policies individually and collectively, assess their pros a...

State of Health: Five recommendations for the nation’s health system until GE16

Over the next two decades, four major structural trends will converge, creating what we (the authors) describe as a “perfect storm” for senior citizens in Malaysia. We believe that this perfect storm requires fundamental solutions, which we will describe in this article.

State Of Health: Reverse annuity solution for seniors with catastrophic illnesses

The global financial crisis of 2008 popularised the term “too big to fail”, which is also an appropriate label for the Malaysian health system. Two other terms that can describe the Malaysian health system are “too big to manage” and “too big to understand”.

State of Health: In 2025 and beyond, there are no magic solutions for healthcare

Funding for Malaysia's healthcare system is currently under significant strain, with annual medical inflation rates of 12%, one of the highest in Southeast Asia. In July 2024, in response to the systemic issue of high medical inflation, Bank Negara Malaysia introduced new co-payment regulations, ...

State Of Health: Using value-based healthcare to transform outcomes

Insurance companies in Asia face three structural challenges in healthcare that are happening all at once. (1) Asians are under-insured, with a massive US$1.8 trillion (RM8.4 trillion) annual health protection gap that must be covered somehow (Swiss Re, 2018); (2) medical costs grew about 40% fas...

State Of Health: Three healthcare strategies for insurers in Asia

We believe that Malaysia needs doctors with high professional, ethical and personal standards to properly care for the health of the rakyat. Therefore, we are writing to discuss three recent healthcare issues that are directly related to the doctors that Malaysians deserve.

Issue 1: Ma...

State Of Health: The doctors that Malaysians deserve

On Dec 5, 2023, the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) scores of 77 countries were released worldwide. PISA is an international study started in 2000 and owned by the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), a club of 38 high-income countries. Every three y...

State of Health: What PISA education scores can teach health system guardians

YOUR DAY AHEAD: Nov 12, 2026

Here's a heads up on what to look out for today.

YOUR DAY AHEAD: Nov 12, 2026 

(Nov 11): Polymarket has cut jobs and terminated several contractor agreements in a reorganization as the prediction market startup seeks to compete ​with rapidly growing rival Kalshi.

An internal email from the company, ending a ‌contractor agreement, has been doing the rounds on socia...

Polymarket cuts jobs, contracts as prediction market competition heats up

SYDNEY (Nov 12): Australia's blue-chip companies are increasingly invoking artificial intelligence as they cut jobs and move work offshore, unions and experts say, complicating the government's efforts to support employment in a slowing economy.

On ​Tuesday, Qantas, Australia's flag car...

Australian companies face 'AI washing' claims after wave of job cuts, offshoring

MADRID (Nov 11): A general strike by 4 million Spanish workers — around one-fifth of the total workforce — against the ​country's housing crisis was mostly peaceful on Wednesday, unions said, though by the evening clashes erupted in some areas of Barcelona and Madrid.

Workers endur...

Millions of Spaniards stage first general strike in 14 years as anger over housing leads to clashes

YOKOHAMA, Japan (Nov 11): Nissan said on Wednesday its second-quarter operating profit dropped nearly 100% from a year earlier, underscoring the ‌scale of the challenge that CEO Ivan Espinosa faces as he tries to revive the struggling Japanese automaker.

The result highlighted...

Nissan Q2 operating profit drops sharply, highlighting turnaround challenge

Asian stocks were set for gains, tracking a Wall Street rally led by technology giants as bets grew that the artificial-intelligence trade powering the bull market is far from over.

Asian stocks set to gain on renewed US tech rally

A rally in tech giants lifted stocks on bets the artificial-intelligence trade that has powered the bull market has more room to run.

US stocks climb as Wall Street gets fresh AI fuel

EasyJet shareholders on Wednesday overwhelmingly backed a takeover by US private equity firm Apollo, as the British airline's boss insisted its fares would remain "affordable" amid soaring fuel costs.

EasyJet shareholders back £5.7 bil takeover by US firm Apollo

Spain's data protection watchdog AEPD said on Wednesday that it had launched a probe into the alleged proliferation of child sexual abuse material on social media platform TikTok brought to light in an investigation by a local news website.

Spanish watchdog opens TikTok probe but denies government demand to block app

Here is a brief recap of some business news and corporate announcements that made the headlines on Wednesday.

Zetrix AI, Dialog, United Plantations, Heineken Malaysia, S P Setia, MMAG, Southern Score, L&P Global

The Malaysian Bar has sought the court's permission to challenge the house arrest of Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

Bar files court challenge against Najib's house arrest

The retail prices of RON97, unsubsidised RON95 and unsubsidised diesel will drop by 50 sen, 40 sen and 25 sen per litre&nbsp;respectively&nbsp;from Nov 12 to 18.

Retail prices of RON97, unsubsidised RON95, diesel to drop from Thursday

Zetrix AI Bhd (KL:ZETRIX) has an additional two days to disclose material information on its financial position, dividend issues and a series of governance and operational issues, after securing an extension from the bourse regulator.

Zetrix AI gets two more days to disclose info on financial position, dividend issues

The government, through the Employees Provident Fund (EPF), will continue to study a proposal to expand the scope and coverage of the EPF i-Sayang scheme to allow Malaysian husbands to make voluntary contributions for their non-citizen wives.

Govt studies proposal to extend EPF's i-Sayang scheme to non-citizen wives 

Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail is set to address the terms governing former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's house arrest in the Dewan Rakyat on Thursday.

Saifuddin to clarify Najib's house arrest terms, monitoring arrangements in Parliament on Thursday

Industrial packaging firm L&amp;P Global Bhd (KL:L&amp;PBHD) is considering diversifying into fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), and construction and procurement of building materials to expand its earnings base.

Packaging firm L&P Global moots diversification into consumer goods, construction

The expansion of electricity bill protection to cover households consuming up to 800kWh a month is expected to cost RM248 million over four months, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said.

Minister: Expanded electricity bill protection to cost RM248 mil, Tenaga to bear automatic fuel adjustment costs

Empire Premium Food Bhd (KL:EMPIRE), the operator of the Empire Sushi chain, posted a net profit of RM13.69 million on revenue of RM85.23 million for the second financial quarter ended Sept 30, 2026 (2QFY2027).

Empire Premium Food posts RM13.7 mil quarterly net profit

The S&amp;P 500 and the tech-heavy Nasdaq climbed on Wednesday after neocloud firm CoreWeave's strong earnings calmed investor jitters about bloated artificial intelligence (AI) expenditure.

S&P 500, Nasdaq rise as CoreWeave results ease AI spending worries

Mercedes-Benz Group AG’s struggles with shrinking demand in China mean it’s being forced into a complete overhaul of its business in the world’s biggest auto market, according to chief executive officer Ola Källenius.

Mercedes CEO flags pivot to strategy of ‘100% China for China’

Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is confident that the political crisis in Negeri Sembilan will be resolved soon.&nbsp;

Ahmad Zahid confident Negeri Sembilan political crisis nearing resolution

Indonesia's Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka has resigned, an aide said on Wednesday, a move that threatens to split a key political alliance and risks further political uncertainty in Southeast Asia's largest economy.

Indonesia's vice president has resigned, aide says, stoking political uncertainty

Nvidia Corp’s investigation of chief executive officer Jensen Huang’s affair with an alleged Chinese spy is raising questions about the company’s future and sending its stock into a tailspin.

Nvidia’s bull case hinges on CEO Huang surviving China spy probe

Contracts of companies involved in the construction of the Pan Borneo Highway cannot be terminated arbitrarily, as delays in individual work packages are not necessarily caused solely by the contractors’&nbsp;shortcomings.

Pan Borneo Highway contracts cannot be terminated arbitrarily — minister

Asian stocks were set for gains, tracking a Wall Street rally led by technology giants as bets grew that the artificial-intelligence trade powering the bull market is far from over.

KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 11): The government, through the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) will continue to study a proposal to expand the scope and coverage of the i-Sayang scheme to allow Malaysian husbands to make voluntary contributions for their non-citizen wives.

Proposal to extend EPF's i-Sayang scheme to non-citizen wives being studied, Parliament hears

EasyJet shareholders on Wednesday overwhelmingly backed a takeover by US private equity firm Apollo, as the British airline's boss insisted its fares would remain "affordable" amid soaring fuel costs.

Volkswagen AG is scrapping a major advanced-manufacturing project at its sprawling headquarter as falling profits force Europe’s biggest carmaker to rethink investment across its German factories.

VW scraps advanced factory plan as earnings squeeze deepens

Myanmar's military-led government is urging the US to beef up re-engagement efforts and rapidly boost investment in the war-torn nation's rare earths mines, a critical sector now dominated by influential giant neighbour China.

Khor Swee Kheng

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Khor Swee Kheng

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