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Hong KongHealth & Environment

‘No timetable’ for high-risk pool under new insurance plan, Hong Kong health chief says

Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan says government to focus on launch of voluntary health insurance scheme for now

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Professor Sophia Chan Siu-chee, Secretary for Food and Health, says public opinion on how the government should allocate resources for health care might change when more people have used health insurance. Photo: Edward Wong
Elizabeth Cheung

An arrangement to cover high-risk individuals under Hong Kong’s new voluntary health insurance scheme is still on the table, but the city’s health chief is unable to promise it will be available within the current term of the government.

Secretary for Food and Health Professor Sophia Chan Siu-chee said the government would first focus on the launch of the scheme, which is expected to be rolled out next year.

Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po revealed in the budget in February that premiums paid for insurance products certified by the scheme would be eligible for tax deduction, with a ceiling of HK$8,000 (US$1,019) per insured person.
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“In the first few years, we will focus our work on rolling out the voluntary health insurance scheme,” Sophia Chan said in an interview with the Post and other media late last month.

Hong Kong health chief Sophia Chan defends insurance scheme despite critics saying tax breaks are too small

The medical insurance scheme was first proposed by the government to relieve the burden on the public sector in the long run.

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