Planning for the family

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Servicing medical insurance premiums as a family can be costly but it is nevertheless an essential expense.

SLAPPED with a RM14,000 hospital bill after delivering their daughter Jasmine over a year ago was an eye-opener for Jaime Zulkifli and Oliver Hunter.

Jaime, 31, had to undergo an emergency Caesarian, after which Jasmine was hospitalised four nights for a lung infection.

Jaime Zulkifli and Oliver Hunter are working on a medical plan for their 18-month-old daughter Jasmine.

After that experience, the couple are well-aware of the high cost of private hospital care and the need for medical insurance.

However, as a family, they do not have any at the moment.

“The only insurance we have is for our car!” laughed Jaime, a public relations consultant.

A Brit, Hunter enjoyed the benefits of the NHS, or National Health Service, scheme back home.

Before he left Britain a few years ago, he was hospitalised a few times, once after he was hit by a car and another time, for a tonsillectomy. The medical expenses were all covered under the scheme.

Top priority: Richard Ritikos and Marcia Wong bought a medical insurance plan for their son Marc when he was six months old.

“The cost of giving birth is also covered under NHS and there, you get a good level of care,” said Jaime.

“However, here, there is a big disparity between government and private healthcare costs,” added Hunter, a copywriter.

Before coming to Malaysia, the couple lived in Australia for two years. Prior to that, they were in Britain.

“Most medical plans available here are for Malaysians or foreigners who stay for longer periods but we have been moving around quite a bit,” said Jaime, adding that they might go to New Zealand next.

Insurance premiums for the whole family can also be pricey, as Jaime and Hunter, who plan to have a second child, found out.

“Therefore, we are giving Jasmine the priority. For us, if anything happens, we can go to a public hospital but we want a certain level of comfort for Jasmine,” said Jaime, whose health concerns at the moment are the current Influenza A (H1N1) epidemic and hand, foot and mouth disease.

The couple have been asking around about medical plans for 18-month-old Jasmine.

“Plans are afoot to get one as soon as possible, and we have all the information. We are waiting for things to get back to normal financially,” said Jaime.

While Hunter, 30, has not really thought about their retirement, his wife would like to once they have cleared their debts and are back on their feet.

Unlike some Asian parents, Jaime and Hunter do not expect Jasmine to take care of them in their old age.

“In England, my parents look after themselves but after marrying Jaime, I realised it is different here, so it was a bit of a culture shock for me,” said Hunter.

Total well-being

In terms of health, the past one year has been a smooth one for Richard Ritikos and Marcia Wong.

The couple and their son Marc, aged two years and four months, started practising good eating habits, and husband and wife take turns going to the gym regularly.

“Generally, we feel our health has improved a lot since last year. In fact, we have not needed to see the doctor for quite a while,” said Wong, 35, a home tutor.

Ritikos, also 35, takes Marc to the playground almost every day and as a family, they emphasise spending time together.

“Good health is also very much about one’s mental and spiritual state.

“We have been spending more quality time as a family and we feel good about that. As we know, stress has negative effects on our health,” said Wong.

Both Ritikos and Wong have medical insurance plans which they bought in 2002. However, the couple has not reviewed their policies since then.

“We definitely need to do that soon,” said Ritikos.

The couple also bought a medical insurance plan for their son when he was six months old.

“Medical insurance for Marc is very important. He had jaundice after he was born and was re-admitted to the hospital where we incurred high medical bills,” said Wong.

“We hear a lot of cases about people asking for donations for their children’s medical or hospital bills and we do not want to have to do that,” added Ritikos, a tutor and PhD student.

However, insurance premiums for the family can be a huge expense.

“That’s why we took the most basic schemes. So far we are quite happy with our medical plans,” said Wong.

Both of them have personal life insurance, which they bought eight years ago.

However, they are not satisfied with the current coverage and intend to do something about it soon.

From big family backgrounds – Ritikos comes from a family of 12 siblings and Wong, 11 – the couple intend to have one or two more children.

Depending on their children for their retirement is not something they plan to do.

“Even though we come from big families, we understand how it is still not easy to help out our parents sometimes.

“My parents do not expect that from us so we will not expect that from Marc,” said Wong.