High Risk Pool needs consensus

March 6, 2018

Secretary for Food & Health Prof Sophia Chan:
As far as the High Risk Pool is concerned on the one hand, I think we need to have a consensus among people in Hong Kong, because on the one hand some people think it is a good thing that we should have the High Risk Pool in our Voluntary Health Insurance Scheme but on the other hand there are also critics that said the Government should use its resources to strengthen our public healthcare system and not to subsidise the insurance companies or subsidise people who can afford to buy insurance. So I think we need to get the consensus of whether a High Risk Pool is something that everybody wants in Hong Kong first before we can go forward.

The Government will not put forward the High Risk Pool in the Voluntary Health Insurance Scheme until a consensus has been reached.

Speaking to the media after attending a radio programme today, Secretary for Food & Health Prof Sophia Chan said opinions on the issue are wide ranging.

"On the one hand some people think it is a good thing that we should have the High Risk Pool in our Voluntary Health Insurance Scheme.

"But on the other hand there are also critics that said the Government should use its resources to strengthen our public healthcare system and not to subsidise the insurance companies or subsidise people who can afford to buy insurance.

"We need to get the consensus of whether a High Risk Pool is something that everybody wants in Hong Kong first before we can go forward."