Under the EPF Health Withdrawal scheme, members are allowed to withdraw from their Account II to pay for their own and family members’ medical costs for the treatment of critical illnesses.
The list new now covers for the treatment of 36 critical illnesses compared to only 13 previously.
In addition to the 36 critical illnesses, members are also allow to make withdrawals to treat family members below the age of 16 for another three critical illnesses. The illness are severe asthma, leukaemia and intellectual impairment due to accident or sickness.
Family members include spouse, children, step-children or legally adopted children, parents, parents-in-law, step-parents or legal foster parents and siblings.
The table belows are the new list of critical illness that eligible.
| 1 | Aplastic Anaemia | 19 | Loss of Speech |
| 2 | Appalic Syndrome | 20 | Major Burns |
| 3 | Alzheimer’s Disease | 21 | Major Head Trauma |
| 4 | Benign Tumour of the Brain | 22 | Major Organ Transplant |
| 5 | Blindness | 23 | Medullary Cystic Disease |
| 6 | Cancer | 24 | Meningitis |
| 7 | Cardiomyopathy | 25 | Motor Neurone Disease |
| 8 | Chronic Liver Disease | 26 | Multiple Sclerosis |
| 9 | Chronic Lung Disease | 27 | Muscular Dystrophy |
| 10 | Coma | 28 | Paralysis |
| 11 | Coronary Artery Disease | 29 | Parkinson’s Disease |
| 12 | Deafness | 30 | Poliomyelitis |
| 13 | Encephalitis | 31 | Primary Pulmonary |
| 14 | Fulminant Viral Hepatitis | 32 | Stroke |
| 15 | Heart Attack | 33 | Surgery to Aorta |
| 16 | Heart Valve Replacement | 34 | Systemic Lupus Erythematosus with Lupus Nephritis |
| 17 | Kidney Failure | 35 | Terminal Illness |
| 18 | Loss of Independent Existence | 36 | Total Permanent Disability |
Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) has slammed the move, saying the money should be kept for one’s old age.
What do you think?
More information on EPF health Withdrawal can be find in EPF website.
It is good move as many do not buy medical insurance.
Lets think about this. For low income people, they can hardly have RM30,000 in their Account II (check EPF annual report on my blog and you will know the statistic.)
I know you are not in that category since you know how to find this blog, but one medical bill will wiped out saving for years.
Why don’t they get themselves insured? Life insurance agent, please work harder…