[Cross-Border Travel] What to do if you fall ill? Check out the comparison of cross-border outpatient insurance now!

The cost of living in Mainland China is lower than in Hong Kong, prompting many Hong Kong residents and elderly individuals to relocate there, not only to save on living expenses but also to enjoy larger living spaces. However, when illness strikes, the need to travel long distances and queue at border crossings to return to Hong Kong for medical treatment can be quite burdensome for patients. With the advancement of integration policies in the Greater Bay Area, the demand for cross-border healthcare is increasing, and cross-border medical services are gaining more attention. Previously, 10Life has compared cross-border medical plans that cover inpatient treatment. This time, 10Life will focus on the more routine and frequently used outpatient services, comparing the cross-border outpatient plans offered by various insurance companies in the market.

Table 1 shows that the outpatient plan from CTF Life covers the insured and up to two designated family members, while FWD's outpatient plan also offers a family plan with no limit on the number of members. However, the other two outpatient plans only cover the insured individual. To ensure comparability of the products, the selection of coverage areas for this comparison is standardised to individual outpatient plans that cover Hong Kong, Macau, and the Greater Bay Area in Mainland China. Currently, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area includes 9 cities in Guangdong Province, but most plans in Table 1 only cover 6 of them (Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Dongguan, and Zhongshan), with Huizhou, Jiangmen, and Zhaoqing excluded from the coverage area.

For those who frequently travel between mainland China and Hong Kong, the chance of exposure to germs increases accordingly. Additionally, as age advances, the physical functions and immunity of the elderly may gradually decline, leading to a corresponding increase in the demand for medical services. Therefore, a cross-border medical insurance plan that offers sufficient outpatient visits is quite important.

Among the products in Table 1, four plans cover multiple general outpatient visits in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau, with services provided by network doctors. Notably, the China Taiping Greater Bay Area Outpatient Protection Plan 5 offers unlimited annual offline and online outpatient consultations, with full coverage of outpatient expenses. However, this plan also comes with the highest premium.

Medical expenses in Hong Kong and Macau are higher compared to mainland China, and some insurance companies adjust the number of outpatient visits covered based on the region. For instance, under the CTF Life “Greater Bay Area Outpatient Pass” Plan 3, if coverage includes Hong Kong and Macau, only 25 face-to-face and online outpatient consultations are provided annually, the lowest among the products in Table 1, averaging about two visits per month. In contrast, AIA’s “Greater Bay Medical Connect” Outpatient Plan 2 and FWD’s Greater Bay Area SmartPass Outpatient Plan 2 offer approximately 30 and 32 face-to-face and online consultations per year, respectively. For the aforementioned three plans, insured individuals are required to pay a co-payment, with HKD 20 for outpatient visits in Hong Kong and Macau, and RMB 8 for visits in mainland China.

For some elderly individuals with frequent health issues, two outpatient visits per month may still be insufficient. Most plans in Table 1 offer additional online consultation services, which can be used even after the allocated outpatient visits are exhausted, though insured individuals typically need to bear the cost of medication themselves.

In addition to general outpatient services, the cross-border outpatient plans listed in Table 1 also cover other medical needs. Taking FWD Greater Bay Area SmartPass Outpatient Plan 2 as an example, this plan not only covers common services such as Chinese medicine and dental care, but also includes expenses for laboratory tests, diagnostic imaging, and a colonoscopy every three years, offering relatively comprehensive coverage.

Furthermore, policyholders should note whether coverage for other medical services such as Chinese medicine and dental care shares the same limit as outpatient consultation visits. For instance, with CTF Life’s “Bay Area Outpatient Pass” Plan 3, the plan provides coverage for up to 5 Chinese medicine outpatient visits per year, but this benefit shares the same limit as general practitioner face-to-face and online consultations. If a policyholder has visited a Chinese medicine practitioner 5 times in a year, this means the remaining limit for general practitioner face-to-face and online consultations in Hong Kong and Macau for that year is only 20 visits.

When comparing plans, policyholders should consider not only the number of outpatient visits but also other coverage items, selecting a plan that suits their personal needs and priorities.

Further Reading:Seeking Medical Care Northwards Becomes a Trend: A Comparison of Cross-Border Medical Insurance

Last updated: 5th June 2025

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.