Hong Kong public healthcare fee changes ‘could bring in HK$3 billion a year’

Reforms to Hong Kong’s public healthcare subsidy regime will bring in an extra HK$3 billion (US$386 million) in revenue that can support other medical needs of the city’s residents, including covering fees of patients who spend more than HK$10,000 a year, the government said on Tuesday.

Patients turning up at accident and emergency departments with less-urgent needs will pay a fee of HK$400 rather than the current HK$180, while an extra 1.1 million residents will be eligible to have medical charges waived. The changes will come into effect on January 1 next year.

In an unprecedented move, the government will also cover the fees of those who spend more than HK$10,000 a year on medical services, excluding self-financed items. The measure is expected to benefit around 70,000 people, who might have serious illnesses and require inpatient treatment for more than a month.

Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau said the rate at which the government subsidised public healthcare would fall from 97 per cent to 90 per cent within five years under the reforms.

Lo told a press briefing that the changes aimed to address structural challenges and enhance the public healthcare system’s sustainability by asking patients with mild conditions and those who could afford it to pay more.

“The government’s commitment to supporting the healthcare needs of the public remains unchanged. All the extra income brought by the reforms will be invested in public healthcare services,” he said.