Health care reform in Hong Kong: Critical moment and the way forward

Hong Kong is now in the midst of health care reforms. The government initiated a three-month public consultation on the proposed voluntary health insurance scheme in mid December 2014. If successfully implemented, this reform will bring out major changes to the city’s health care financing system that has been in place for decades. An even larger number of Hong Kong citizens who have been enjoying heavily subsidized but oftentimes crowded public health care services, will need to set aside several thousand dollars every year to buy health insurance and switch to private doctors. A telephone survey led by the speaker, however, found low level of support from citizens. Further investigation revealed that the middle classes, the target population of this reform, are not particularly enthusiastic to patronize. This seminar draws from local debates and international experiences to discuss the prospect and potential pitfalls of the current reform proposal. A number of policy implications will be drawn.