【Domestic Helper Insurance Comparison】Compare over 40 products. Which offers the best surgical and hospitalisation coverage?

Many families in Hong Kong are fortunate to have hired excellent domestic helpers who take good care of the elderly and children at home, while keeping the household in perfect order. These helpers are often regarded as indispensable family members. When purchasing domestic helper insurance for this important family member, employers are no longer just focused on meeting the legal requirements of labour insurance. Instead, they seek comprehensive protection: in the unfortunate event of illness or accident befalling the helper, such insurance significantly reduces the financial burden on the employer and ensures the helper can recover quickly and return to work, minimising the impact on the family. With this in mind, 10Life has analysed over 40 domestic helper insurance products using the latest "Insurance Decoder", focusing on medical and accident protection scores to help employers make the most informed choices. 

Domestic helper insurance primarily consists of three main areas: medical and accident coverage, employer protection, and legal liability. For employers who are deeply concerned about their domestic helpers, they seek a plan that provides genuine peace of mind, particularly with outstanding medical coverage. After all, if a domestic helper falls ill or encounters an accident requiring hospitalisation, the associated medical expenses could be an unexpected burden for the employer. According to Table 1, Prudential, Zurich, BOCG Insurance, Hong Leong, and Allied World are the five domestic helper insurance plans that have received higher ratings for medical and accident coverage. 

Based on the overall rating, BOCG Insurance's product stands out with a score of 9.1, demonstrating consistent and stable performance across various aspects, making it a well-rounded choice.

However, when breaking down the individual components of the rating, particularly focusing on medical and accident coverage, Prudential's product achieves the highest score of 9.1. This indicates that while different products may have similar overall performance, there are still variations in specific areas. If certain aspects of coverage are of particular concern, a deeper understanding of those specific components is necessary. 

Private medical expenses in Hong Kong are extremely costly. Even if employers are highly concerned about the medical coverage for their domestic helpers, their budgets may not allow for the helpers to stay in private hospitals throughout their treatment. So, what is the purpose of medical coverage in domestic helper insurance? In fact, although public medical services in Hong Kong are affordable, they may not cover certain procedures, such as advanced imaging tests required for a domestic helper diagnosed with cancer. Additionally, waiting times in public hospitals can be very long for procedures like endoscopy or the initiation of chemotherapy, which may delay treatment for the patient. With relatively comprehensive hospitalisation coverage, employers can opt to arrange for their domestic helpers to seek timely treatment at private hospitals, enabling them to recover quickly and return to work, thereby minimising the impact on the family.

When we examine surgical and hospitalisation coverage, among the five products, Zurich and Allied World offer the highest coverage for (non-critical illness) surgical and hospitalisation benefits, reaching up to HKD 80,000 per year. Meanwhile, the highest coverage for surgical and hospitalisation benefits (critical illness) is provided by Hong Leong, reaching up to HKD 200,000 per year.

As for outpatient coverage, the benefit limits of the aforementioned domestic helper insurance plans are largely similar. In the past, many employers would allow their domestic helpers to visit public hospital emergency rooms for minor ailments, as the HKD 180 fee fell within the insurance outpatient limit. However, starting from 1 January 2026, the emergency room fee has been adjusted to HKD 400 (except for critical or emergency cases), and insurance may not fully cover this cost.

Employers may consider the following options: opt for domestic helper insurance with a designated outpatient network, as consultations through network doctors tend to be more seamless; or look for plans with higher outpatient limits, though it should be noted that most plans on the market still maintain limits between HKD 150 and HKD 210, leaving a noticeable coverage gap; additionally, employers may consider purchasing two domestic helper insurance policies to stack outpatient benefits, but they should be aware that medical expenses are reimbursed on an actual expense basis, and the process of claiming from two insurance companies can be more complex, so remember to submit all documents on time.

In addition to providing coverage for domestic helpers, some plans also offer considerate protection for employers, such as "Fidelity Guarantee" (against theft) and "Service Interruption Allowance" (subsidising employers during the domestic helper's hospitalisation).

The table above shows that employer protection is mainly divided into two major categories:

• Fidelity Protection: This is designed to cover property loss caused by dishonest acts of domestic helpers (such as theft). In this regard, BOCG Insurance, Zurich, and Hong Leong offer the highest coverage amount of $10,000.
• Service Interruption Cash Allowance: When a domestic helper is unable to work due to illness or accident requiring hospitalisation, the insurance company provides a daily cash allowance to the employer to compensate for the additional expenses and inconvenience of hiring temporary help or managing household chores.

According to the law, employers are required to purchase insurance for domestic helpers. If you wish to learn more about domestic helper insurance, you can visit 10Life’s Insurance Decoder or refer to the extended reading articles. 

Extended Reading: 【Which Domestic Helper Insurance is Best in 2026】Mandatory by Law? A Comprehensive Comparison of Outpatient and Medical Coverage

Last updated: 15 January 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.