HK proposes law to boost private healthcare fee transparency
發佈日期: 2025-05-25 19:59
TVB News
The government has proposed legislative changes to step up fee transparency in private healthcare services. Under the plan, if final charges exceed the original estimate by more than 20 percent, providers must give patients a written explanation.
Some lawmakers expressed concerns that private doctors may inflate quotes to avoid justifying higher final bills.
The Health Bureau earlier submitted proposals to the Legislative Council, suggesting legislation to improve transparency in private medical charges.
The proposed rules would require private hospitals, day procedure centres and clinics to publish fee schedules in a standardized format, listing basic services and the most common treatments and procedures.
Healthcare service providers must issue a cost estimate when patients undergo specified treatments. Should the final bill exceed the estimate by more than 20 percent, the service providers must give a written explanation.
They would also be required to report annual data such as charges, average hospital stay length and fee ranges.
Some lawmakers say greater transparency will encourage more patients to consider private healthcare and help ease pressure on the public system.
But lawmaker Chan Hoi-yan warns that doctors may give inflated quotes to avoid having to explain higher costs later and in case complications arise after the treatments.
She added that's also because hospitals want to minimise time cost incurred by report writing by doctors and hospital administrators.
The insurance sector, meanwhile, hopes standardized quote forms will help patients compare prices.
Insurance sector lawmaker Chan Kin-por said they have observed that doctors often charge their patients fees close to their insurance policies' maximum coverage. Ironically, having insurance coverage can make treatments more expensive, driving up the overall amount of claims.
He said clearer pricing can help curb rising hospital fees and cut unnecessary procedures to help slow the rise in insurance premiums over the long run.
