Page 78 - 20211214_OHKF_Health_Finance_Research_Report_E (1)

Title Health financing-related discussions
Voluntary Health Observations:
Insurance Scheme • There was broad support for the concept and policy objectives
Public of the Voluntary Health Insurance Scheme (VHIS) in general.
Consultation, 2017 Many considered it a positive step towards redressing the imbalance of
(FHB, 2017) the public-private sectors and enhancing the long-term sustainability of
the healthcare system as a whole.
• There were divergent views over the proposed establishment of the
high-risk pool (HRP) to enable implementing the guaranteed
acceptance with premium loading cap requirement. While
many supported the policy objective of establishing the HRP, a number of
submissions expressed grave concern over its long-term sustainability.
• Most agreed that success of the VHIS depended on strengthening the
supporting infrastructure, including healthcare manpower supply and
private healthcare capacity, as well as on measures to enhance the
price transparency of private healthcare services.
Recommendation:
• VHIS will be taken forward with general support from the community.

Notes: [1] Public health care services shall focus on four target groups: acute and emergency care, low-income and
underprivileged groups, illnesses that entail high cost, advanced technology and multidisciplinary professional
team work, and training of healthcare professionals.
[2] The HPS is a standardised and regulated scheme of private health insurance based on voluntary participation
incorporating various features for consumer protection and promoting packaged charging for transparency of
healthcare services. Proposals for the HPS comprised (a) insurance features, (b) savings options, and (c) possible
incentives (FHB, 2010a).

Identified strategic papers listed in Table 3.2 also showcase recurring themes. First, an
increasing scope of collaboration between public and private sectors and
a more strategic role of private healthcare services were frequently highlighted
as potential solutions for the increasing demand of healthcare services and the overstretched
public sector. Second, there is a consistent emphasis on the urgency to foster primary
care in all major strategic papers (2001, 2005, 2008). Discussions covered making regular
health checks available at an accessible price (2005) and initiatives related to
increasing financial subsidies for chronic disease patients, children, and the older population,
as well as receiving primary care from private sector providers as an alternative
to the existing public services (2008). Against the background of increasing healthcare
demands coupled with the sustainability issue of public financing system, innovative ways of
financing healthcare in our system considering health system sustainability needs to be
discussed now more than ever before.

76