Medical Insurance is a must by law?

Hi there,


I wanted to know whether the law requires you to have a Medical Insurance?


I will be living in HK for around 18 months (starting from next months) for a Project with my wife, and am sorting the arrangements to be in place before i arrive HK.


Regards,

Adeel.

“Eligible persons,” defined as an individual holding a Hong Kong Identity Card, are entitled to use the Hong Kong public healthcare system which can provide treatment at a lower cost than private hospitals. (http://www.ha.org.hk/visitor/ha_visitor_index.asp?Parent_ID=10044&Content_ID=10045&Ver=HTML)


While the government is considering the implementation of legislation which would incentivize the purchase of a private medical insurance policy this has not yet become law; and even if it did, the incentives would only be applicable to approximately 500,000 “high risk” individuals.


So no, you are under no compulsion to purchase a medical insurance plan, and in fact you may find that your employer will provide you with company coverage as part of your project’s benefit package.


However, depending on your preference with regards to public or private healthcare services it is important to recognize that the private medical system in HK has some of the highest average costs in the world (Ranked 2nd in the world with Israel, only the USA has higher average private healthcare costs), which could see you spend quite a bit without some form of coverage if you opt for private treatment in the event of an emergency.


But if you’re happy to use the public system then no worries, you probably won’t need a policy… and it’s certainly not required by law.

many thanks scrugby for the detailed reply.... it really helps!!


Cheers, Adeel