Kuala Lampur, Feb. 4 -- As a working professional in my early 50s, with children in university and ageing parents to worry about, I can say this plainly: the rising cost of medical insurance has become one of the most stressful financial pressures on middle-class families. After education, healthcare is our other major priority.

Many of us are not asking for handouts. We work hard, pay our taxes, and try our best to plan responsibly. We purchase medical insurance and takaful because we want to protect our families and avoid placing unnecessary strain on the public healthcare system.

But when premiums continue to rise year after year, it becomes increasingly difficult to justify the cost, especially when households are already stretched ...