AIA Introduces Coverage For Mental Health Conditions

AIA has announced an expansion to its A-Plus Health medical rider. As an addition to the Health Wallet feature, this does not mean direct coverage. Rather it comes as a side benefit for not making any other claims.

Up to RM1,500 per year can be claimed from the Health Wallet to cover expenses for six mental health conditions: Major Depressive Disorders, Post-Partum Depression, Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Tourette Syndrome.

The Health Wallet is a part of the A-Plus Health rider; an addition to AIA’s regular premium investment-linked plan. It allows an amount of funds to be credited into the wallet for each year that no claim is made from the A-Plus Health. These funds can then be used on a select number of care services and medical expenses that are not usually covered.

Chief Marketing Officer of AIA Bhd, Heng Zee Wang said: “Mental health continues to remain a challenge for both the public and health industry due to the lack of data and understanding. While there is definitely more work to be done – AIA is happy to do whatever we can at this point to move the needle forward. One of the first steps we thought to address was seeking treatment, often one of the first barriers in the journey to mental health recovery. With this new feature, AIA hopes to enable more Malaysians to take that first step to seek professional help.”

The Ministry of Health that the number of Malaysians suffering from mental health problems had a double digit increase between the years of 1996 to 2015; with 4.2 million people diagnosed.