Housewives Social Security Bill passed via voice vote in Dewan Rakyat

KUALA LUMPUR: The Dewan Rakyat has passed the Housewives Social Security Bill (HSS) to offer voluntary insurance protection for some three million Malaysian housewives.

The HSS will see housewives below 55 eligible for the voluntary insurance scheme managed by the Social Security Organisation (Socso).

"The government will allocate a RM20mil fund to provide insurance coverage to 150,000 housewives from the B40 group for a period of 10 months under the scheme and will seek further allocation from the Finance Ministry for the purpose," said Deputy Human Resources Datuk Awang Hashim when tabling the Bill for its second reading in Dewan Rakyat on Monday (July 25).

For a start, he said that the HSS would only cover housewives and not husbands who play the role of homemaker.

"This is an entirely new law and there will be room for revision later to include protection for husbands who are looking after their homes," he added.

Under the scheme, husbands will have to pay RM120 in advance to Sosco to provide protection for their wives covering a 12-month period.

The contributions could be made through deductions by the employers of the husband.

A husband, who has voluntarily registered for the scheme but fails to make the contribution, could face a RM10,000 fine.

However, a husband could escape liability if he informs Socso in writing that he is unable to continue with contributions due to the loss of income or other reasons.

However, housewives could choose to make their own contributions if their husbands elect not to sign up for the scheme.

The scheme offers a range of medical benefits and compensation payments of between RM300 and RM50,000 to housewives depending on the seriousness of their injuries sustained while at home.

Awang also said that housewives would continue to be protected throughout the insurance coverage period although divorced by their husbands.

"They will still be protected throughout the coverage period as long as the injuries sustained occurred before the divorce," he added.

The HSS was tabled for its first reading in Dewan Rakyat by Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri M. Saravanan last Tuesday (July 19).

The Bill was passed by a majority voice vote by the House.