[COVID-19 Vaccine Side Effects] Are They Covered by Traditional Medical Insurance?

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Updated on 7 September 2021: The Hong Kong Federation of Insurers has issued a statement indicating that if any adverse reactions occur after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine requiring hospitalisation for treatment, its member companies will consider this as a "medical necessity" and compensate medical expenses in accordance with the terms and conditions of individual reimbursement hospital insurance products. Therefore, the medical insurance mentioned in the text now covers side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine.

As of the time of writing, over 460,000 people have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. However, in recent weeks, several serious adverse events suspected to be related to the COVID-19 vaccination have emerged, raising public concern about the side effects of the vaccine. Earlier, the Voluntary Health Insurance Scheme (VHIS) Office issued a message stating that the VHIS coverage includes expenses incurred due to adverse reactions from the COVID-19 vaccine, such as hospitalisation, day surgery, and prescribed diagnostic imaging tests.

Since the VHIS covers side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine, do mainstream traditional medical insurance plans offer similar protection? The Hong Kong Federation of Insurers has pointed out that some individual medical insurance policies list preventive treatments and preventive care expenses (including vaccinations and claims directly or indirectly caused by vaccinations) as exclusions. Today, 10Life explores several traditional medical insurance products to determine whether they cover side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Only a Few Medical Insurance Plans Cover COVID-19 Vaccine Side Effects

10Life has reviewed product terms and sent email enquiries to multiple insurance companies, compiling information on the coverage of side effects from the COVID-19 vaccine for over ten traditional medical insurance plans available in the market.

Chart 1: Comparison of Coverage for COVID-19 Vaccine Side Effects Across Different Medical Insurance Products (as of 24 March 2021)

Insurance Company Medical Insurance Product	Does the Medical Insurance Coverage Include COVID-19 Vaccine Side Effects?
AIA 特級「健康之寶」醫療保障計劃2	✘¹
AXA Hong Kong and Macau 寰宇特選 II醫療計劃	✔²
Bupa 保柏卓康健	✔³
China Life 「國壽海外」尊尚醫療保險計劃	✔³
China Taiping 太平臻安保環球醫療保險計劃	No Response⁴
Cigna Healthcare 信諾尊尚醫療保	✔³
Fubon Life ｢摯康健｣醫療保障計劃	✔⁵
FWD 衛一醫療總匯	✘⁴
HSBC Life 摯關懷超卓醫療計劃	✔²
Manulife 晉領醫療保障系列	✘¹
Prudential 「摯為您」優悅醫療保險計劃	✘¹
Sun Life 永明滿心醫療保	No Response⁴
Notes: The policy terms of this medical insurance product list preventive treatments or vaccinations as exclusions, and the insurance company, in response to 10Life's enquiry email, only mentioned providing free COVID-19 vaccine side effect coverage for designated customers. AXA Hong Kong and Macau, in response to 10Life's enquiry email, stated that customers of its 「寰宇特選 II醫療計劃」 and 「摯關懷超卓醫療計劃」 distributed through HSBC Life, who require hospitalisation due to side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine, will generally be compensated. The compensation amount depends on factors such as the coverage level and scope of the plan chosen by the customer. The insurance company has implemented temporary measures to include the COVID-19 vaccine under this medical insurance coverage. The insurance company has not yet responded to 10Life's enquiry email. Fubon Life, in response to 10Life's enquiry email, stated that this medical insurance coverage will include side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine, but only for vaccines approved by the local government, and the related medical expenses must be medically necessary. The above information is provided by 10Life and updated as of 24 March 2021.

As shown in the chart above, most popular medical insurance product policies list preventive treatments or vaccinations as exclusions. However, given the large-scale rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine, a small number of insurance companies, such as Bupa, Cigna Healthcare, and China Life, have announced special temporary measures on their websites to include side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine as covered items under the aforementioned medical insurance plans.

Additionally, AXA Hong Kong and Macau, in response to our email enquiry, stated that customers of its 「寰宇特選 II醫療計劃」 and 「摯關懷超卓醫療計劃」 distributed through HSBC Life, who require hospitalisation due to side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine, will generally be compensated. (Note 1) Furthermore, Fubon Life also informed us that its 「摯康健｣醫療保障計劃」 will cover side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine. (Note 2) In other words, policyholders of the above plans who unfortunately require hospitalisation due to vaccine side effects will be eligible for compensation under the terms of their medical insurance policy.

Free COVID-19 Vaccine Side Effect Coverage

Although most insurance companies do not include vaccine side effects in their medical insurance coverage, they have introduced free COVID-19 vaccine side effect protection (click here to read the article). Some of these free protections are offered to both new and existing customers, while others are available to all Hong Kong residents, primarily providing compensation for hospitalisation and death. However, it should be noted that the free vaccine side effect coverage mainly offers hospitalisation cash benefits calculated on a daily basis with a specified cap on the number of days, whereas traditional medical insurance typically covers a broader range of items, offers higher coverage amounts, and provides reimbursement based on actual expenses, highlighting a clear difference between the two. Additionally, many insurance companies (such as AXA Hong Kong and Macau, FWD, and Prudential) require customers to register to receive this free coverage. Therefore, readers who are unsure whether they already have free COVID-19 vaccine side effect coverage should enquire with their insurance company as soon as possible.

In recent weeks, several serious adverse events suspected to be related to the COVID-19 vaccination have occurred. However, the expert committee's preliminary assessment suggests that these events are not directly causally linked to the vaccine. Therefore, individuals who experience adverse reactions due to pre-existing conditions and require hospitalisation may not be eligible for side effect coverage compensation. Nevertheless, if the individual has purchased medical insurance, they may still claim compensation for hospitalisation from the insurance company.

Lastly, as a side note, to help consumers easily understand the coverage of VHIS products, 10Life actuaries have calculated the expected coverage ratios for various medical conditions (including cancer, angioplasty, stroke, etc.) under VHIS plans. We invite everyone to visit 10Life's 《Product Decoder》 to compare them one by one.

Voluntary Health Insurance Scheme (Standard Ward Plan) for Adult Males, 0 Deductible

Voluntary Health Insurance Scheme (Standard Ward Plan) for Adult Females, 0 Deductible

Voluntary Health Insurance Scheme (Semi-Private Ward Plan) for Adult Males, 0 Deductible

Voluntary Health Insurance Scheme (Semi-Private Ward Plan) for Adult Females, 0 Deductible

Voluntary Health Insurance Scheme (Private Ward Plan) for Adult Males, 0 Deductible

Voluntary Health Insurance Scheme (Private Ward Plan) for Adult Females, 0 Deductible

Extended Reading:

〈Is the Voluntary Health Insurance Scheme (VHIS) Attractive Due to Tax Deductions? There Are Also Lesser-Known Benefits〉

〈【COVID-19】Comparison of Free COVID-19 Vaccine Side Effect Insurance (Updated March 2021)〉

Notes:

AXA Hong Kong and Macau, in response to 10Life's email enquiry, stated that the compensation amount depends on factors such as the coverage level and scope of the plan chosen by the customer.
Fubon Life, in response to 10Life's enquiry email, stated that this medical insurance coverage will include side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine, but only for vaccines approved by the local government, and the related medical expenses must be medically necessary.
The above information is provided by 10Life and updated as of 29 March 2021, for reference only and does not constitute sales advice.

This English version of this article has been generated by machine translation powered by AI. It is provided solely for reference purposes. In the event of any discrepancy or inconsistency between this translation and the original Chinese version, the Chinese version shall prevail.

Last updated: 9 Apr 2026

10Life Editorial Team

Our team of professional content researchers focussing on insurance

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10Life Editorial Team

Our team of professional content researchers focussing on insurance

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[COVID-19 Vaccine Side Effects] Are Traditional Medical Insurance Plans Covered?

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