FEW people question the need to insure their jewellery and other valuable belongings. Yet, the most valuable possession of all - our health - is often given little thought when it comes to insurance.
But ill health is inevitable and medical costs can be crippling. One of the benefits of a wealthy society is being able to choose private medical care and protection for your family in the form of life insurance.
Yet life insurance remains relatively unpopular, stigmatised by the foot-in-the-door salesmen and the old-fashioned idea that it is somehow ''unlucky'' to insure against personal disaster.
The main purpose of insurance is to provide financial security against uncertainty, and Hongkong's insurance industry has recorded a growth rate of more than 30 per cent over the past 10 years.
People have become aware of escalating medical costs and the need for insurance, while insurance companies have diversified and modified their products to meet these growing needs.
The Government's Green Paper, now in its final stages, examines funding for the public health care sector. It will give an indication of government expectations for the flow from the public to the private sector.