What health insurance do you have?

S

Shenzhennifer

Registered User
My husband and I are looking into private health insurance for us and our baby. Our two main options are this point are AIG and Manulife. I know for AIG, they will pay 70% of your medical costs in private hospitals and some dental. I still have to read the policy (yawn).
Just wondering what kind of insurance you all have and what you think of it.
By the way, my husband`s company is paying for it, but I don`t think they`ll pay for anything too fancy. What we have been looking at is about 2-3000 USD.
Any advice is appreciated, thanks!
 
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We used to be with William Russell, which was pretty good. Claims were processed efficiently and they were always responsive on email. But then they raised their premiums for Asia and created a new Orchid rate, which made it quite expensive. We're now with Healthcare International. The cover is much better than WR including maternity, and the premiums are low . However, I haven't put in a claim yet, can't comment on that. Also have a look at Bupa International or you can even speak to a broker like Pacific Prime. Click on the red banner on the side.
 
Hi, my health insurance is provided by my employer and is with ACE Limited (Ace Insurance Hong Kong - Ace Hong Kong ? ace insurance company in Hong Kong Insurance, phone: 3191 6222). The benefits are very good. I won't post the specifics of what is covered as I don't know if the policies are individually negotiated with different employers but I can say that the maternity cover is enough to cover a private doctor and private room at Matilda. The dental was high enough to cover replacement of two veneers recently. Our policy is a corporate expatriate policy but perhaps if your/your husband's employer was paying you could also access the corporate policy? Anyway, give them a call.

I think you are smart to be very careful when evaluating the different policies. Medical costs in HK can be huge and even having to pay 30% of a private hospital bill can add up to a lot. My son was recently admitted to a private hospital for 36 hours at a cost of around HK22,000! Also, be aware that the doctors charge by room type so they charge you more if you are in a private room even though they might be providing exactly the same service to a person in the semi-private room next door.
 
hi, try IHI. my husband and I used IHI when we were working in Tokyo and it was provided by my husband's employer. It has a very comprehensive coverage.

We are using AIA now, the cover isn't bad but not as good as IHI
 
Hi

I use Bupa International and I think it's the best insurer I've ever had. They pay for most of the private treatment/dental expenses up to a limit and have very good maternity cover. We are insured through work so not sure what the individual rates are. Hospital bills are directly settled and for docs claims it takes about 2 weeks to get the money back.
My previous insurance was expacare and they were rubbish
 
I have no idea as it's paid by my company but visit their website - you need to google bupa international and they have special calculators so you can check how much your plan will be.
 
We just applied for BUPA, thanks for the recommendations. They seemed pretty good, so after some research, we decided to give it a go. But I`m a bit confused bc mela said they covered dental but they told me they don`t, and I didn`t see it in their packages either. We`re going to get a separate coverage for dental - Blue Cross, which is kind of a waste of money and I wouldn`t get it if I had to pay out of my own pocket - you have a get (and pay for yourself) a check up with their dentists first and anything that they find you cannot get work doneon for the first year. So it`s only good for the long term and then it`S a bit basic but the company is paying so...
And FYI, for the three of us (dh, myself, and baby) we(well, my husband`s company) are paying just over 20K for Hospital and Surgical plus Clinical.
So we`ll see how it all goes.
 
HSBC: International Health Scheme.

Bills are settled directly while in HKD and using their panel doctors.

They fully covered my c-section with Dr. Lord at Mathilda (in a single bed private room). However, I did pay for the additional brownie and carrot cake I ordered. :p
 
my good friend works for KGI and they do insurance. they will be able to compare different insurance providers for you. in fact, he has helped my husband set up a policy for our son. i can make an introduction for you if you want
 
If anyone is considering getting health insurance, I would recommend against getting BUPA for your children. In order to see a pediatrician, you need to get a referral letter from a GP. That`s twice the legwork for you, makes things more time consuming and complicated, and you have to pay more up front (since BUPA reimburses you after), as well as it costing them 60% more. I guess their rationale is that a GP can do the job? Also I don`t think they cover well-baby checks which I also think is ridiculous but that`s a whole different issue. Anyway, I`m really really p%&#ed off at them since I have recently submitted several claims and am having problems getting the money back. Just wanted to warn anyone considering them for their insurance provider. I will definitely not be renewing our contract.
 
Hi

We have used Allianz in the past. Claims were VERY difficult with them and I would never use them again. Basically tried to refuse the two major claims we had placed with them, one in a difficult situation where we lost a baby during pregnancy. We fought it as the terms were clear and we had email advice from Allianz themselves clarifying the terms on certain points and they evenually backed down (after suggesting that we were stupid laypersons and not medically qualified) and agreed that their staff had wrongly advised us.

We are now with HSBC insurance through my work and they are good and quick with claims and assistance but could be partly because it is a corporate plan and we have a broker to deal through. Allianz was an individual plan and much more difficult. Are you wanting it for general medical/dental or also wanting to try and cover maternity? Our HSBC plan covers maternity up to US$9K which (as anyone who has had a baby in the private system in HK knows!) won't cover the costs in total but will help.

SB2
 
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