bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

sponsorType

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

quizIds

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

paywallTypes

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Elizabeth Cheung

Residents visiting Hong Kong’s public accident and emergency (A&E) departments for non-urgent treatment may need to pay about double the current price of HK$180 (US$23) under the government’s healthcare fee reform, the Post has learned.
Sources also said on Monday that residents could apply to have their medical fees covered if their annual spending went beyond a certain level, which one insider revealed would be HK$10,000.
The measures were expected to be introduced next year.
One of the sources said an existing fee waiver mechanism, which targets underprivileged and elderly residents, could be expanded to cover more people.
“More people may be qualified for the fee waiver mechanism, and time would also be needed to adjust the computer systems in public hospitals,” the insider said.
The details emerged a day before Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau was set to hold a press conference to announce major changes to fees in the public healthcare system.
He has outlined his intention to reform the subsidy model for public health services to require residents with non-urgent concerns to pay more, allowing authorities to better provide for patients with severe illnesses who were facing large medical bills.
Sources said A&E departments at public hospitals would charge patients based on a two-tier fee structure depending on their condition, in a departure from the current practice of a HK$180 fee for all.
Those whose conditions were considered “critical” or “emergency”, which were the most serious cases, would be treated for free.
The rest – considered “urgent”, “semi-urgent” or “non-urgent” – would have to pay between HK$300 and HK$400, a level similar to the average cost at private clinics.
Non-urgent patients currently take up about 55 per cent of cases attending A&E departments at public hospitals. One veteran doctor has claimed some residents visit A&E just to obtain a medical certificate to apply for sick leave.
Insiders said fees for other services, such as hospital stays and day procedures, as well as visits to specialist and family medicine outpatient clinics, would also be adjusted.
The city’s current fee waiver mechanism for public healthcare covers underprivileged residents, such as those receiving the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance, and those on the Old Age Living Allowance aged 75 or older.
One source said the government would relax the income and asset limits for the waiver.
Authorities would also allow those who spent beyond HK$10,000 on inpatient and outpatient services in public hospitals in a single year to apply to have excess fees waived.
All residents would be eligible, the source said, adding that the level did not include self-financed treatment.
The insider said the fee reform was meant to “strengthen protection instead of just increasing prices”, referring to more help for underprivileged groups and patients with severe illnesses.
While the government’s current subsidy rate for public hospital services was as high as 97.8 per cent, the changes would bring the rate down to about 90 per cent, the sources said.
Public hospitals last saw their fees increased in 2017, when the charge for a visit to A&E rose from HK$100 to HK$180, and the cost of a visit to general outpatient clinics increased from HK$45 to HK$50.

Sources said the government aimed to achieve the goals of the fee reform in five years.
Authorities review the charges for public hospital services every two years.
Insiders have said that the fee changes are not in response to the government’s estimated HK$87.2 billion deficit, but rather aim to address a structural imbalance in the subsidy model and to help support those with serious diseases.
All money raised from the increased fees would be put back into public healthcare uses, according to those sources.
Health minister Lo has said the government wants to help patients in need who are lower down on the economic ladder, and those suffering from acute conditions or complicated illnesses, to ensure they do not “go poor because of illnesses”.
Authorities also hoped to cut down on abuse of the heavily subsidised public healthcare services.
Lo earlier revealed the authorities were considering charging patients separately for scans, such as computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), at public outpatient clinics.
He said demand for the scans had been increasing and waiting times were getting longer, adding that a certain degree of abuse might be linked to the fact the services were free of charge.
Patients would be asked to pay “a reasonable co-payment” for the services, with the earnings put towards supporting patients with serious illnesses.
The Hospital Authority has said that about 10 per cent of patients holding radiology bookings in 2022-23 failed to show up for their appointments.
Patients’ rights advocate Tim Pang Hung-cheong raised concerns over whether the increased fees for non-urgent cases in public emergency departments would prompt the private sector to also raise prices.
“Will the private sector also have a corresponding increase in its fees to maintain a distance from public services?” Pang said.
He said there could be a knock-on effect for demand in private healthcare if some residents opted to avoid the public system after the new fees were in place.
“When there is an increased demand, naturally prices could rise too,” he said.
He added that some residents required A&E visits even though they did not appear to require urgent treatment, such as those with catheters or feeding tubes that had loosened, which could not be handled in general practitioners’ clinics.


Hong Kong’s rush into raising healthcare charges is a mistake

Overseas dentists can help bridge shortage in Hong Kong

Hong Kong lawmakers urge clarity on fee waivers under new healthcare charges

Hospitals in Hong Kong turn hi-tech after ‘full body check’

Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

Hongkongers may soon be paying double for non-urgent A&E visits in fee revamp

Insiders have said that the fee changes are not in response to the government’s estimated HK$87.2 billion deficit. Photo: Jelly Tse

Authorities review the charges for public hospital services every two years. Photo: Jelly Tse

Hong Kong A&E wards aim to cut wait times for urgent patients with fee change

Patients at A&E are divided into five categories according to their condition. Photo: Eugene Lee

Dr Axel Siu (left) and Dr Michael Wong discuss A&E usage. Photo: May Tse

A&E fee reform needed as some patients only seek sick notes, Hong Kong doctor says

Data has shown that about 55 per cent of the cases attending the A&E departments are classified as semi-urgent or non-urgent, according to a doctor. Photo: Jelly Tse

The A&E department at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Jordan. According to the Hospital Authority’s 2023-24 annual report, total attendance at A&E units at public hospitals hit more than 2.14 million. Photo: Jelly Tse

Hong Kong health chief confirms patients may pay separate fees for scans like MRIs

Authorities are considering charging patients separately for certain scans. Photo: Yik Yeung-man

Lo Chung-mau says hospitalised patients and those attending emergency rooms will be excluded from the proposed move. Photo: Sun Yeung

News

Hong Kong

Health & Environment

Health minister to reveal details over fee reform on Tuesday, with residents able to apply to have medical costs covered after reaching threshold, Post learns


Health minister to reveal details over fee reform on Tuesday, with residents able to apply to have medical costs covered after reaching threshold, Post learns.
