Upon completion of the questionnaire, the participants were interviewed concerning the maximum amount they would be willing to pay for VCHI (Scenario C) for their household. The interview was performed using the contingent valuation method in a bidding game style. The initial value was randomly selected by the researcher from three possible starting points (Int$29, Int$87 and Int$116). These values were selected based on the common premiums offered for private health insurance plans in Malaysia. Increments or decrements of Int$29 were offered based on their response to each level. If a negative response was received, the highest positive amount accepted was taken as the household WTP for health insurance