香港產子費用激增
Categories:Health Insurance, Healthcare, Hong Kong, Maternity, Medical Insurance, News |Published on May 20, 2013
香港特別行政區政府在2007年立法，強制向在香港公立醫院分娩的所有非本地孕婦收取港幣39,000元。立法原意是要勸阻已懷孕的中國內地居民使用香港的醫療設施，為香港本地孕婦騰出更多醫療資源，並減輕公共醫療系統日益增長的負擔。
今天並沒有任何法例硬性規定孕婦在香港私立醫院分娩的費用。雖然香港特區政府立法規管孕婦在公立醫院分娩的費用，香港公立醫院分娩的外籍人士自2007年仍然有增無減，香港全市約50％初生嬰兒來自非 本地或外籍孕婦。據估計在2011年有92, 000名內地孕婦在香港公立醫院分娩，她們對香港公立醫療機構構成沉重的負擔。越來越多孕婦由於公立醫院的產科供不應求，開始考慮使用香港私人醫院的產科 設施。
雖然公立醫院與私人醫院產科的需求同樣不斷增加，但私人醫療機構與香港公立醫療系統不同，私人機構的收費不受醫院管理局和衛生署監管，私人醫療機構的收費完全受市場和通貨膨脹主導，過高的服務需求已經使價格提高到令人吃驚的水平，根據香港消費者委員會在2011年發表的報告，在香港私立醫院生孩子的費用已大幅上升近49％，升幅遠超其他國際城市每年約15％的增幅。
位 於深水埗的寶血醫院成為全港費用增長最大的私營婦產科醫院，它的分娩服務在2011年的收費居然比2010年多收48.9％費用，一個準媽媽在寶血醫院分 娩的初始價格為四萬五千港元，但最終醫院向她徵收總數達七萬港元。總數其中五千元是由於孕婦接受醫生建議，比原定時間提前一小時接受剖腹生產，令人震驚的 是其中一萬五千元屬醫院“管理費”，而其他費用包括醫用紗布，三千元的嬰兒護理費，一千五百為額外五小時的嬰兒監護費，而五百元為“無痛”分娩後加班工作費。
寶血醫院並不是惟一一間提高婦產科服務收費的醫院。其他增加費用的醫院包括浸會醫院，它的收費提案了31.1％，聖德肋撒醫院亦增加了費用的30％，聖保祿醫院亦輕微調高分娩費用6.5％，養和醫院是全港惟一沒有增加婦產科費用的醫院。
香港私家醫院增加產科收費的決定使社會有輿論要求私家醫院增加財政透明度。然而，全球趨勢明確顯示生育費用正不斷增加，因此無論在私家醫院或公立醫院，只要孕婦打算在香港分娩，孕婦都應該考慮接受香港懷孕保險保障，確保她們的健康和養育孩子的開支得到最周全的照顧。
削減雙非孕婦來港產子名額
Categories:Hong Kong, Maternity, Medical Insurance, News |Published on May 20, 2013
早前候任特首梁振英提出取消2013年雙非孕婦來港產子的配額，他亦考慮不為雙非孕婦的子女提供居港權，最終食物及衞生局局長周一嶽宣佈2013年香港私立醫院雙非配額的問題將交由下屆特區政府研究，現在任何雙非孕婦已不可能預約明年在港分娩的配額。公立醫院明年亦不會接收非本地孕婦分娩，換言之現時任何雙非孕婦在2013年後皆無法在港產子。
近年大量來自中國大陸的孕婦使用香港公立醫院的產科服務，對香港公營醫療系統構成沉重壓力，大量專業醫護人員流失到私立醫院，使醫療資源進一步緊縮，影響本地孕婦接受產科服務的機會，這個現象已引起香港社會的廣泛討論和關注。
為了保障本地孕婦享有應得的公共婦產科服務，香港政府在2010年實施內地孕婦來港分娩配額，將非本地孕婦在公立醫院產子的數目限制為10000名。但2011年香港公立醫院出生的人數首次超過45, 000名，嚴重超出公共醫療機構的處理能力。因此香港特區政府在2012年進一步將非本地孕婦在公立醫院產子的名額削減至3400名，這個數字明顯遠低於2010年的數目。儘管香港實施新的配額制，公立醫院的配額仍然迅速爆滿，醫院管理局正研究這個配額是否足以滿足香港居民。
現階段的研究並無將使用急症室分娩的孕婦計算在內，有社會人士擔心進一步減少配額會導致更多孕婦在香港公立醫院的急症室分娩，報告顯示每年有超過一千六百名孕婦在急症室分娩。醫院管理局官員認為非本地孕婦對香港公營醫療系統構成龐大壓力，因此需要實施配額制，但社會亦有輿論認為配額制對非本地孕婦不公，亦有官員質疑即使已經滿額，是否有可能禁止非本地孕婦進入香港，防止非本地孕婦在臨盆前夕，臨時透過公立醫院的急症室分娩。
香港的食物及衛生局正就公營醫療服務需求增加制訂相應的對策。事實上不單是公立醫院，連香港私立醫院都受到龐大的工作壓力，例如明德醫院，作為全港最知名的私家醫院，專門提供婦產科服務，它亦正面對著前所未有的龐大工作壓力，有報導顯示不少孕婦難以在私人醫院預約婦產科服務。
Pacific Prime opening New Portal to provides Free Hong Kong Health Insurance Quotations
Categories:Health Insurance, Healthcare, Hong Kong, Medical Insurance, News |Published on May 20, 2013
Pacifc Prime is pleasure to announce that it is now launching a new portal named”Hong Kong Health Insurance” to offer free quotes for those expatriates in need of medical Insurance coverage in Hong Kong.
Pacific Prime is a well-established international health insurance provider for expatriates around the world. Pacific Prime provided different international health insurance plans to Hong Kong permanent resident and expatriates since year 2000. Pacific Prime has in-depth experience in offering comprehensive medical insurance coverage to the public in Hong Kong.
As an international metropolis, Hong Kong health system can provide the highest quality treatment and services in the world. However, its medical fees is the second most expensive one in the world after the USA. Only Hong Kong permanent residents are eligible to receive low-cost medical services in the public healthcare system. Hong Kong non-Permanent residents have to pay for expensive medical treatments in public hospital.
Therefore, Pacific Prime launched Hong Kong Health Insurance website to provide information about the most extensive plan of medical insurance companies currently available in Hong Kong. Through Hong Kong Health Insurance website, individuals and families can easily request for free quotes of their medical insurance coverage. With just a few clicks of the mouse, they can find the most relevant information about Health insurance plans, such as premiums, claims and geographical area of coverage.
Hong Kong Health Insurance provide annually renewable health plans. They are generally guaranteed for life and will provide the insured with worldwide coverage. Hong Kong health insurance will ensure the insured have the same coverage no matter where they travel or work.
If you would like to learn more about Pacific Prime and request for a free Hong Kong Health Insurance quotes, please visit at http://www.hong-kong-health-insurance.com .
愛情保鮮 – 首選: “愛情保險”
Categories:Health Insurance, Healthcare, Hong Kong, Medical Insurance, News |Published on May 20, 2013
情人節晚上，鮮花，朱古力和燭光晚餐毫無疑問屬指定動作，想為摯愛花多點心思?未知你有沒有考慮過為愛侶準備一份與他/她終身健康幸福相關的禮物?在電影”非誠勿擾2”中，葛優扮演的秦奮正正為舒淇扮演的女友”笑笑”買了一份鉅額保險，在自己身故後，確保笑笑的生活無憂。今天，購買夫妻聯名共保的保險產品 (俗稱”愛情保險”) 在愛侶間已蔚然成風，不少愛侶透過”愛情保險”向對方顯示出寬容，關愛與責任。
體現”愛”的“愛情保險”
今天市場上大部份標榜”愛情”的保險產品，也屬於夫妻聯名共保產品，保障範圍以理財分紅與人壽保險為主，住院補貼、女性疾病、門診保險等為輔，由此可見“愛情保險”的保障內容與普通保險計劃相似。
鑑於不少夫妻間年齡不等，所以“愛情保險”的保費一般按個別的風險系數加上投保年齡計算，因此它的保費又比一般傳統保險計劃較便宜，而且“愛情保險”以家庭經濟支柱為投保人，所以家庭內所有的成員均可成為被保險人，並能隨著家庭成員增加而修改保障範圍。有了孩子之后，更可將孩子新增為新的受保人。
換言之，只要兩人一起合資購買一份保單，再共同支付保費，自然雙雙成為受保人，兩人同時享有受益權。現今“愛情保險”暫時僅發售給合法夫妻，不同保險公司就“愛情保險”作出的處理手法亦各有不同，保險專家建議有意投保的人仕應該事先清楚了解計劃的保障內容，確保保障範圍符合自己與愛侶實際的需要。
“愛情保險”造就”愛”
鑑於“愛情保險”實際的保障內容並不是保” “愛情”，所以保險公司已經安排妥當，假如夫妻二人不幸離異，保單非但不會被廢除，更會一分為二，根據夫妻兩人各自的年齡和健康狀況分別計算保費，為兩人繼續提供保障，確保兩人健康快樂生活。
假如丈夫/妻子準備在情人節給對方購買保險作為禮物，可以選擇為自己買上一份足額的保險，再將受益人列為自己的伴侶和孩子，這種做法亦可把對摯愛的保障落實到底。無論形式如何，“愛情保險”體現了對摯愛的另一半不離不棄的心意。在情人節收到這份堅定不移的責任感，毫無疑問比收到一百技玫瑰更加浪漫，令夫妻兩人比過去更加珍惜彼此，達到真真正正的“愛情保鮮”。
Reduced Birth Quota Considered for Non-Local Mothers
Categories:Hong Kong, Maternity, Medical Insurance, News, Uncategorized |Published on May 20, 2013
News has emerged today that the Hong Kong Hospital Authority may be considering a reduction in the number of non-local mothers able to give birth at Public hospitals in the city. Alternatively, a complete cessation in the admittance of non-resident mothers to Hong Kong public hospitals is also being considered, according to a statement from a senior Hospital Authority representative.
In recent months there has been a large amount of debate in Hong Kong regarding the ability of non-local mothers, specifically those from Mainland China, to use public maternity services at Hong Kong Public Hospitals with which to give birth. Claims have been made that this has severely affected the ability of local residents to access maternity services, and has strained the overall ability of Hong Kong’s healthcare system to deal in a surge of patients.
In order to assure local residents that they would have access to public maternity services the Hong Kong government introduced a quota in 2010 limiting the number of non-residents able to give birth in public Hospitals to 10,000. However, in 2011 the number of births in Hong Kong’s public hospitals rose above 45,000 for the first time; massively exceeding the ability of public healthcare facilities to cater for the patients.
As such, at the start of 2012 a reduced quota was imposed on non-residents wishing to use Public hospitals in Hong Kong to deliver their children; the 2012 quota for non-local births was set at 3,400 – much lower than the figure seen in 2010.
Despite the newly downgraded quota being imposed Maternity services at public hospitals are fully booked until September 2012, leading the Hospital Authority to question whether the revised quota of 3,400 births is sufficient to allow proper access to these services by Hong Kong residents.
Not included in the official hospital delivery statistics are the numbers of non-local mothers who did not pre-book a bed at a maternity facility in Hong Kong, but rather elected to rely on emergency room facilities to deliver their child. Insiders who remain cautiously critical of the decision to reduce the quota for non-resident births suggest that lowering the figure would merely see more pregnant women utilize emergency facilities to deliver their children. 1,656 births were recorded last year from mothers who delivered at public emergency room facilities.
Hospital Authority officials have deemed the quota necessary, despite widespread protestations that it is unfair to non-resident mothers, due to the need to increasing workloads being placed on Hong Kong’s doctors and the public healthcare system. Furthermore, some officials have questioned whether it would be feasible to stop pregnant non-resident mothers at Hong Kong’s borders if the quota for the year has already been reached in an effort to prevent crippling strain from overburdening the city’s emergency services.
A committee, chaired by Secretary for Food and Health, York Chow, is currently in session to discuss the plans on how to cope with increased demand for public healthcare services in the future. The non-resident birth quota and availability of public healthcare services are expected to be further discussed over the coming months.
However, it is not just Hong Kong’s public hospitals which are feeling the strain of increased patient demand. The Matilda Hospital, widely considered Hong Kong’s leading private maternity facility, is currently facing unprecedented demand from expectant mothers. Christine Lau, Deputy General Communications Manager for the Matilda, recently posted further clarification on the Matilda’s capacity on the AsiaXpat advice forum:
“We (at Matilida International Hospital) have read several threads recently discussing maternity booking arrangements at our hospital. Some ladies have mentioned a “waiting list.” We are writing to clarify that there is no waiting list, and any cancellation notification ladies received from our hospital is final. All obstetricians are aware of the number of their deliveries that we can accept and as such, ladies receiving such a notification are strongly advised to work with their doctors for alternative arrangements.”
This follows a number of confused expectant mothers receiving a cancellation notice for their booking.
Hong Kong Health Insurance has had no response to our enquiries as to whether these mothers had already paid the HK$ 20,000 non-refundable deposit for the Matilda’s maternity services.