[Cross-border premium medical insurance] Achieve “freedom of care” and remove geographical limits, with global health coverage wherever you go

Cross-border living has become the new normal. Last year, the number of trips made by Hong Kong residents to the Mainland reached approximately 53 million¹. More and more professionals and retirees are choosing to live between Hong Kong and the Mainland, enjoying the benefits and convenience of both places. However, the greatest concern is having no support when falling ill and having to travel long distances just to seek treatment. This is why it is even more important to make complementary use of healthcare advantages across regions, and to rely on high-quality healthcare solutions to manage illness, so as to worry less in difficult times.
 

Survey results show that 56% of respondents in the Greater Bay Area have used cross-border medical services in the past three years², and nearly 50% of Hong Kong respondents intend to increase their use of cross-border medical services in the future². At the same time, medical inflation continues to rise, with the increase in Hong Kong residents’ healthcare expenses over the next ten years projected to reach 17.7%². To achieve freedom in seeking medical treatment, a cross-regional and comprehensive healthcare protection plan is all the more important!

保誠高端醫療自由行計劃 offers “one policy, two locations, global coverage”, helping policyholders choose cross-border medical services more flexibly and independently, and achieve freedom in seeking medical treatment.
 

Although Hong Kong’s medical resources are advanced, they are relatively strained. In recent years, medical development in Mainland China has progressed rapidly, and many Hong Kong-owned private medical institutions have expanded into the Mainland. Universities in Hong Kong have also established affiliated hospitals there, while collaboration between Chinese and Western medicine in the Mainland is more mature than in Hong Kong³, making treatment upon return to Hong Kong no longer the only option. 保誠高端醫療自由行計劃 provides a solution, covering more than 14,000 Mainland hospitals at Tier 2 level or above⁴, as well as hospitals in Hong Kong, Macau and other regions worldwide⁴. It also offers an optional lifelong medical benefit of up to HK$70 million.

Whichever plan you choose, it provides full cover for standard single rooms in Mainland public hospitals (including eligible wards in the special needs and international departments), as well as the principal eligible inpatient and surgical expenses⁶ for semi-private or private rooms in Hong Kong, Macau or other regions⁵. No matter where you are, you can enjoy high-quality medical services and reduce the inconvenience caused by limited medical resources.
 

If you are living in Mainland China and unfamiliar with the local environment, even ordinary, simple matters may become difficult. Most hospitals in Mainland China generally adopt a “pay first, then receive treatment” approach, which may be hard to adapt to and respond to immediately in an emergency medical situation. The dedicated value-added service⁷ of Prudential Medical VIP Travel Plan provides direct billing for medical expenses, applicable to many hospitals and medical institutions in both Hong Kong and Mainland China. The plan’s dedicated value-added service⁷ medical green channel network covers nearly 1,900 medical institutions in Mainland China, of which more than 90% are Class III Grade A hospitals⁸, enabling the insured to receive medical services in a shorter time without worrying about payment issues.

In addition, it can arrange an accompanying medical assistant to help the customer on the day of consultation at the hospital with registration and obtaining a queue number, accompany them for examinations and queue to collect medication, ensuring the insured receives comprehensive support and assistance throughout the entire medical process. This reduces the inconvenience caused by unfamiliarity with the medical procedures and enhances the overall healthcare experience.
 

High-calibre talents living across borders often have to strive on their own, while retirees may choose to return to Mainland China to enjoy their later years, with no one necessarily nearby to take care of them. As a result, their biggest concern is having no support when they fall ill and having to travel a long distance to seek medical treatment. Prudential VIP Medical Plan provides the “HealthCare+” digital platform⁷, including a range of exclusive value-added services⁷ that are rarely available in the Hong Kong market⁹. In addition, policyholders may optionally add outpatient cover — “Outpatient Benefit”¹⁰ — allowing the insured to choose suitable outpatient treatment in Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau according to their own needs.

Given the vast size of Mainland China, seeing a doctor is still not as convenient as in Hong Kong. If you are also covered by “Outpatient Benefit” and are in Mainland China, should you fall ill during the early hours or on a public holiday, the insured may also use the 24/7 online doctor consultation service, which is rare in the Hong Kong market⁹. Consultations and prescriptions are provided by registered doctors in the Mainland, together with medicine delivery¹⁰, enhancing the convenience and accessibility of healthcare. 

Exclusive value-added services under the “HealthCare+” digital platform⁷ include:  

Hong Kong resident Mr Chan has been living in Shanghai with his family for work. He took out 保誠高端醫療自由行計劃 for himself, his wife and his daughter Amy, selecting Greater China (Plan 2) as the coverage region, and additionally purchased the specified outpatient add-on cover — “門診寶”.

One early morning, Amy suddenly developed a fever. After various attempts to reduce it proved ineffective, she was fortunately able to receive appropriate treatment quickly with the insurer’s assistance. 

The above example is for general reference only. 

For applications successfully submitted from now until 31 March 2025 for the Prudential Premier Medical Plan — HKD/USD plan (Basic Plan and optional benefits), customers can enjoy a 50% first-year premium rebate¹¹.

Apply Now

The Premier Medical Plan (including the optional benefit under this plan — “Outpatient Benefit”) is underwritten by Prudential Hong Kong Limited (“Prudential”) and is subject to the terms and conditions. For details, please refer to the relevant product brochure or visit: Premier Medical Plan | Medical Insurance | Prudential Hong Kong (prudential.com.hk)

Notes:

1. The data cited in this article is based on the remarks made on 11 June 2024 by Mr Zhang Hu, Standing Committee Member of the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee and Executive Vice Governor, at the briefing session for the “Opportunities in the Greater Bay Area” Guangdong-themed interview event. The data show that in the first five months of this year, the number of travellers entering and leaving via the Zhuhai Highway Port of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge exceeded 10 million, and last year about 53 million Hong Kong residents travelled north to the Mainland. Travel to the Mainland and Macao has remained highly popular among residents, making “mutual travel” a new normal in daily life.

2. “Healthcare Freedom Survey”: A survey of 750 residents aged 18 to 54 in the Greater Bay Area. Details: Prudential “Healthcare Freedom Survey”: More than 90% of Greater Bay Area residents worry they cannot achieve healthcare freedom; Hong Kong people believe that unlocking healthcare freedom requires at least HKD 6.7 million | Prudential Hong Kong (prudential.com.hk)

3. Chinese Medicine Bulletin, November 2023, Academy of Hong Kong Studies, The Education University of Hong Kong.

4. Source: China Health Statistics Yearbook 2022 – National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China. The category of covered hospitals depends on the plan option; private hospitals do not apply to Plan 1.

5. For the Premier Medical Plan, the covered ward type in Hong Kong and Macau under Plan 4 includes private wards, while Plans 1, 2 and 3 are semi-private wards.

6. For the Premier Medical Plan, coverage under Plan 1 for Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan is limited to covered cancer, heart attack and stroke.

7. “HealthCare+” and exclusive value-added services do not form part of this plan. “HealthCare+” refers to a third-party electronic platform connected via Prudential’s official WeChat account. “HealthCare+” and the exclusive value-added services (including but not limited to the Mainland China medical green channel, direct billing of medical expenses and global drug sourcing mentioned above) are provided by third-party service providers designated by Prudential and do not form part of the Premier Medical Plan. They are subject to the relevant terms and conditions as specified from time to time. For details, please refer to: https://www.prudential.com.hk/tc/claims-support/healthcare-plus. Prudential may, at its sole discretion and from time to time, amend the scope of the services and change the service providers without prior notice, and may also, at its sole discretion, terminate and/or suspend the provision of such services. In any event, Prudential makes no representation, warranty or undertaking as to the quality or availability of the services provided by the service providers, and shall not be liable for any responsibility or legal liability arising from the services provided by the service providers.

8. Prudential internal data, September 2024.

9. The description “rare in the Hong Kong market” is based on Prudential’s understanding and interpretation of current market information, and is based on a comparison, as at June 2024, of similar medical insurance plans publicly offered to individual customers by major life insurance companies in Hong Kong and Mainland China.

10. Only applicable to customers who have purchased the optional benefit under the Premier Medical Plan — “Outpatient Benefit”. The online consultation service and medication delivery (Mainland China) under “Outpatient Benefit” are provided by a designated third-party telemedicine service provider and are subject to the relevant terms and conditions as specified from time to time. Prudential may, from time to time and at its sole discretion, change the service provider without prior notice. In any event, Prudential makes no representation, warranty or undertaking as to the quality or availability of the services provided by the service provider, and shall not be liable for any responsibility or legal liability arising from the services it provides.

11. Subject to the promotional terms and conditions. Please refer to the relevant leaflet for details.

All information in this article (including but not limited to text, hyperlinks and other materials) is for general reference only and does not constitute any medical advice, nor should it be regarded as professional advice, recommendations, an offer or solicitation, or as a basis for making decisions (whether investment or otherwise). Before making any decision on the matters mentioned in the information, you are advised to seek independent advice from appropriate professionals. The product and/or service information in this article does not include all coverage and/or scope of services, nor the full terms and conditions of the relevant product and/or service. For details, please visit the webpage of the relevant product and/or service.

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.