[Insurance for 3–5-Year-Olds] How to choose medical insurance for kindergarten children? Compare VHIS premiums and cover

Children aged 3 to 5 who attend kindergarten are at a stage when their curiosity is at its peak and they love exploring everything, which increases the risk of germ exposure and naturally worries parents about their children’s personal hygiene and health. In addition, young children have weaker immune systems and are more susceptible to illness, sometimes even requiring hospitalisation. However, by comparing and purchasing medical insurance in advance, you can claim from the insurer when seeking treatment at a private hospital.

Many parents cherish their children and are also willing to spend money on better medical insurance. This time, we focus on comparing “5-star” Voluntary Health Insurance products. So-called “5-star” Voluntary Health Insurance products score 9.5 or above in 10Life’s rating, reflecting that the products can reimburse the vast majority of medical expenses across 12 common illnesses and injuries (such as cancer and vascular diseases)¹, while also demonstrating protection against medical inflation (for example, no sub-limit on individual items and a high annual limit).

Using a fever-related hospitalisation case common among children as an example, the estimated medical expenses for a semi-private room amount to HK$33,100, and “5-star” products will fully cover the related costs². In addition to offering good protection, when children purchase 5-star Voluntary Health Insurance, parents may also apply for tax deductions³. As shown in Table 1, you can see the prices of various products.

Many company medical insurance schemes also cover employees’ children. The above “5-star” Voluntary Health Insurance schemes all offer a deductible option, allowing parents to enhance their coverage on top of their existing company medical insurance. A deductible refers to the amount of medical expenses that the policyholder must bear themselves; once the relevant medical expenses exceed the deductible, only the remaining amount can be claimed from the insurer, and the premium is usually more affordable.

Taking the Blue Cross One-Prime Plus Voluntary Health Insurance Plan (Asia) Zero Deductible Plan as an example, the first-year premium for ages 3 to 5 is HK$10,540, while the premium for the HK$20,000 deductible plan is HK$5,481.

This article has briefly discussed Voluntary Health Insurance premiums. If you would like to compare the benefits and premiums of products across different ward classes in more detail, you can use the Product Decoder to gain a deeper understanding. 

A: If the expense falls within eligible hospitalisation and related treatment costs, VHIS generally provides reimbursement in accordance with the policy terms, so it is particularly useful for hospital stays arising from common illnesses at kindergarten age, such as influenza, hand, foot and mouth disease, and gastroenteritis. As children aged 3 to 5 begin to have more contact in groups, the risk of contracting infectious diseases is relatively higher, making hospitalisation cover even more important.

A: If the parents do not have company family medical insurance, a zero-deductible plan is usually more straightforward, and the claims arrangement is also simpler. If the company medical insurance can already cover part of the hospitalisation expenses first, a Voluntary Health Insurance Plan with a deductible may be more suitable, as the premium can be significantly lower while still retaining substantial medical protection.

A: Voluntary Health Insurance mainly covers hospitalisation and specified medical expenses, and is not necessarily the same as ordinary outpatient cover. Parents should therefore not assume that a visit to a general practitioner or a standard outpatient consultation will always be reimbursed. If outpatient services are used most frequently in the family, you should separately check whether company medical insurance or other medical insurance already includes outpatient benefits.

A：The insurance needs of primary school children aged 6 to 12 differ from those in the kindergarten stage, as do hospitalisation expenses and premium levels. When making a choice, parents should not only compare premiums, but also pay attention to the ward class, benefit limits and deductible arrangements. If you would like to learn more about the comparison and premium details of the “5-star” Voluntary Health Insurance for children aged 6 to 12, please refer to: Compare Voluntary Health Insurance premiums for children aged 6 to 12

Further reading:
[Voluntary Health Insurance] Which is better, ward or semi-private room plans? (With premium comparison from 7 insurers)
[Best VHIS in 2026] Comparison of “5-star” plans: which one is the middle-class family’s choice?
[Pros and cons of the VHIS] Is it worth switching to VHIS? A point-by-point breakdown of its advantages and disadvantages

Notes:

1. Based on several common illness and injury cases involving different levels of medical services, and the medical expenses under general circumstances, 10Life’s actuaries compare these with the claim limits of medical products to calculate the estimated average coverage. For details, please refer to the scoring methodology for medical insurance. The estimated coverage ratio for the above illness and injury cases is calculated based on the estimated medical expenses for those cases under general circumstances, and is intended as a reference only for the “estimated” medical insurance and the medical expenses consumers are likely to bear. It has not been confirmed by the relevant insurer.
2. “Full coverage” means the insurer will pay in full the eligible medical and other expenses after deducting the excess (if any), subject to the per policy year limit (if applicable), lifetime limit (if applicable), per policy year per illness/injury limit (if applicable) and/or other relevant conditions. Full coverage applies only to specified benefit items, while other benefit items are subject to the claim limits of the relevant items. Claims must meet the requirement of being “medically necessary”, and the charges must also be “reasonable and customary”.
3. The maximum tax deduction for premiums per insured person per assessment year is HK$8,000.
4. This article was compiled by 10Life from market information collected through various channels and is for general reference only. It has not taken into account any individual needs or suitability, and should not be regarded as sales advice. Before taking out insurance, you should discuss with a licensed insurance adviser to find a suitable insurance plan, and the information provided by the insurer shall prevail.
5. The above premium information was updated on 20 April 2026 and does not include the premium levy charged by the Insurance Authority.
6. Last updated: 20 April 2026. 

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.