HEALTH insurance and the minimum wage are among the big ticket items benefiting the B40 group – households earning less than RM3,000 a month.

Health insurance, one of PH’s manifesto promises, is provided for four critical illness subject to a maximum of RM8,000 and a maximum of 14 days no-pay allowance at RM50 per day, or RM700 per annum.

Also new for the B40 group is a RM100 million allocation for Skim Perlindungan Kesihatan for those aged 50 and above for free mammograms, HPV vaccinations, and pap tests at government clinics and hospitals, Hepatitis C screenings, and programmes for stunted children.

Another big announcement for the group is the raising of the minimum wage from RM1,000 to RM1,100 per month. Earlier, PH had proposed to raise the minimum wage to RM1,050.

This is effective January 1.

Meanwhile, the new government will continue to give out cash payments to the lower-income groups.

Households with income of less than RM2,000 will receive RM1,000; RM2,001-RM3,000, RM750; and RM3,001-RM4,000, RM500, next year.

Pensioners receiving less than RM1,000 each month will get a one-off payment of RM500.

Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng tabled Budget 2019 in Parliament today.

The B40 group are also expected to benefit from targeted petrol subsidies at 30 sen/litre for RON95 up to a cap of 100 litres a month for cars with engine capacity of not more than 1500cc, and 40 litres for motorcycles not more than 125cc.

Monthly subsidies for electricity bills will also be given to the poor and hardcore poor registered with the government. This will benefit 185,000 accounts and involves an allocation of RM80 million.

Students from B40 households who achieve first-class results will also be eligible for loan discounts from the National Higher Education Fund. – November 2, 2018.