LETTER | The "brazen and targeted" killing of health insurance executive Brian Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealthcare, outside a New York hotel this week shocked America and the world.

The reaction to the crime among certain Americans also exposed a simmering rage against a multibillion-dollar industry in America.

According to Dr. Céline Gounder, CBS News medical contributor and editor-at-large for public health at KFF Health News - the main issue is that healthcare costs are too high.

"What we see in this country is that the number one cause of bankruptcy is healthcare-related expenses," she was reported as saying.

After groceries, transportation and rent, healthcare costs are the number one cost of concern to families in this country (the US), according to KFF polling.

"We've gotten to a point where healthcare is so inaccessible and unaffordable, people are justified in their frustrations," Gounder said.

Similar problems locally?

Does it sound similar to our predicament?

According to reports, insurance premiums in Malaysia could increase by between 40 percent and 70 percent next year.

Such a hefty increase would place a burden on the middle class who are already suffering from high inflation.

This would ultimately lead to overcrowding of public hospitals that are currently inefficient, apart from losing some of its best specialists to the lucrative private sector.

It is obvious that the Madani government is too focused on seeking glory in getting foreign direct investments and it has failed to take a comprehensive and equitable look at our healthcare ecosystem.

We are in a situation where the rich get efficient treatment due to their ability to pay for insurance while the middle class and the poor have to line up at public hospitals, holding on to their lives since it will take a long time before health problems are addressed.

The Association for Welfare, Community and Dialogue (Acid) is of the view that the American experience above should be an eye opener for the government and “private sector health elites”, and that it should not take the people's grievances for granted.

Healthcare is a domain that is rooted in human dignity and cannot be brazenly transacted to suit the greed of the elites.

It is time the Madani government intervenes proactively instead of depending on Bank Negara Malaysia to resolve the health crisis in the country.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.