[High blood pressure, high cholesterol and high blood sugar] Can they be reversed? Can you still buy medical insurance? Learn the symptoms, ways to improve and policy limits

Hong Kong people live at a fast pace, spending long hours sitting with little exercise on weekdays, and often relying on takeaway meals. As a result, chronic health issues are becoming increasingly common. Among them, the “three highs” — high blood pressure, high blood sugar and high blood lipids — are often only discovered after a medical check-up, when many people first realise that their health has taken a turn for the worse.

In the early stages, the three highs may not necessarily affect daily life, but in the long run, the risks are certainly not to be overlooked. For insurers, elevated blood pressure, blood sugar or blood lipids are not merely numbers on a medical report, but key risk indicators during underwriting. So, can people with the three highs buy medical insurance?

In this article, 10Life explores the three highs issue with you, analysing the possible restrictions when applying for medical insurance, to help you understand your health risks and any gaps in your existing coverage.

The three highs generally refer to high blood pressure, high blood sugar and high blood lipids. These three conditions do not necessarily occur at the same time, but if any one of them is not well controlled over the long term, it should not be taken lightly.

The above indicators are for preliminary reference only. The actual diagnosis and treatment plan should still be based on the doctor’s assessment and laboratory report. 

According to the Department of Health’s 2020–22 Population Health Survey, among Hong Kong residents aged 15 to 84, the prevalence of hypertension was 29.5%, diabetes 8.5%, and hypercholesterolaemia as high as 51.9%.

The “three highs” are easy to underestimate precisely because they may not have an immediate impact on daily life. Feeling well day to day does not mean there is no problem with your blood pressure, blood sugar or cholesterol; and a “red flag” on a medical check-up report may already be enough to affect an insurer’s underwriting decision. 

High blood pressure, high blood sugar and high cholesterol can be improved and managed through lifestyle changes, diet control, exercise and medication. However, whether these conditions can be brought back to an ideal level still depends on an individual’s physical condition, the severity of the condition, lifestyle habits, and whether long-term medication is required.

Improving high blood pressure, high blood sugar and high cholesterol can be approached in the following ways:

1. Improve dietary habits: Reduce foods high in salt, sugar and fat, and choose more vegetables, whole grains, lean meat, fish and lower-oil cooking methods.  
2. Increase physical activity: A sedentary lifestyle, excess body weight and lack of exercise may make high blood pressure, high blood sugar and high cholesterol more difficult to control.  
3. Control body weight: Being overweight, especially with central obesity, is closely linked to the risk of high blood pressure, high blood sugar and high cholesterol.  
4. Quit smoking and reduce alcohol intake: Smoking damages cardiovascular health; excessive alcohol consumption may also cause blood pressure and triglyceride levels to rise.  

People with high blood pressure, high blood sugar or high blood lipids do not necessarily need to avoid all their favourite foods, but they should steer clear of dietary habits that can easily cause blood pressure, blood sugar or blood lipid levels to become uncontrolled. In simple terms, it is best to start with a low-salt, low-sugar, low-fat, high-fibre diet.

• People with high blood pressure: should pay attention to salt intake. In addition to reducing salt, they should also be cautious with processed foods, preserved foods, tinned soups, instant noodles, strongly flavoured soup bases and high-sodium sauces
• People with high blood sugar or diabetes: should pay attention to the amount of sugar and carbohydrates they consume, such as soft drinks, bubble tea, desserts, juice drinks, as well as eating too much refined starch in one go, including white rice, white bread and noodles
• People with high blood lipids / high cholesterol: should reduce foods high in saturated fat and trans fat, such as fatty meat, meat with the skin on, butter, lard, full-fat dairy products, palm oil, coconut oil, fried foods and high-fat baked goods 

Having high blood pressure, high blood sugar and high cholesterol does not mean you cannot buy medical insurance, but underwriting may be more stringent.

Many people think that as long as they have never been hospitalised or undergone surgery, they are still considered “healthy”. However, when insurers underwrite, they do not only look at whether the applicant has any major medical history in the past; they also assess the risk of future medical claims.

From an insurance perspective, medical insurance works by sharing healthcare costs across a risk pool. If an applicant has a higher health risk, such as existing high blood pressure, high blood sugar or high cholesterol, the insurer may consider that the likelihood of future claims is higher. As a result, it may balance the overall risk by charging a higher premium, adding specific exclusions, or imposing stricter underwriting conditions.

Therefore, people with the three highs are not necessarily unable to obtain medical insurance, but the underwriting outcome may differ from that of generally healthy individuals. What really matters is not only whether they can apply, but also whether the premium will increase after successful application, whether the cover will be complete, and whether illnesses or complications related to the three highs will be excluded. 

Many people assume that voluntary health insurance always covers pre-existing conditions, but in fact, it is first necessary to distinguish between “unknown pre-existing conditions” and “known pre-existing conditions before policy inception”.

If, before taking out the policy, you already knew that you had high blood pressure, diabetes or high cholesterol, these would generally not be regarded as “unknown pre-existing conditions”.

If you were in good health before taking out the policy, but later developed issues relating to the “three highs”, these would be treated as “unknown pre-existing conditions”. However, please note that, according to the official Voluntary Health Insurance Scheme information, all recognised products cover “unknown pre-existing conditions”. In terms of benefits, the policy provides 25% reimbursement in the second year after policy inception, 50% in the third year, and 100% from the fourth year onwards.

Therefore, it is generally advisable to take out medical insurance while you are still in good health, so that your protection will be more comprehensive.

Please note that insurance contracts are based on the principle of utmost good faith, and policyholders must disclose all relevant information truthfully when applying for cover.

At present, there are not many medical protection products in the Hong Kong market that are specifically designed for people with the “three highs” and are still accepting new applications. Based on 10Life’s current compilation, Bowtie “StillCover” is one of the products in the market that more clearly targets people with the three highs, diabetes and other conditions who find it difficult to obtain traditional medical insurance. It is positioned as supplementary medical insurance, and mainly serves as a protection option for those who wish to fill the gaps in public healthcare services.

However, supplementary medical insurance does not mean comprehensive medical cover, and its scope of protection is also subject to certain limitations. Taking Bowtie “StillCover” as an example, both the Basic Plan and the Upgrade Plan guarantee renewal up to the age of 100, with a per-policy-year limit of HK$500,000 for specified items; inpatient and day-case surgery at public hospitals in Hong Kong are subject to a 20% co-insurance. As for cover at private hospitals in Hong Kong and hospitals in the Greater Bay Area, it is only available under the Upgrade Plan, limited to a specified medical network and designated treatment items, and prior written approval is required.

Therefore, before applying, people with the three highs should not focus solely on whether the insurer accepts applications. They should also carefully review the scope of cover, hospital restrictions, co-insurance, deductible, waiting period, exclusions and renewal terms, and rely on the official policy terms and underwriting outcome. 

People with high blood pressure, high blood lipids and high blood sugar are not necessarily unable to buy medical insurance, but once a diagnosis has been made before applying, the underwriting conditions are often stricter than for generally healthy individuals.

Therefore, for those who are still healthy and have no clear record of chronic illness, taking out medical insurance early will usually make it easier to obtain more comprehensive cover, and the premium may also be lower. Rather than waiting until abnormal indicators appear in a medical examination report before taking action, it is better to establish basic medical cover while in good health, and then review and top up any gaps in cover as needed in the future.

There are many medical insurance products on the market, so consumers may easily feel overwhelmed. Would you like someone to help explain the complicated policy terms and understand the scope of cover of different products? You are welcome to contact a 10Life insurance adviser via WhatsApp for enquiries.   

1. Centre for Health Protection – Hypertension 
2. Centre for Health Protection – Understanding Diabetes 
3. Centre for Health Protection – Dietary Recommendations for Diabetes 
4. Health Education Materials, Department of Health – Cholesterol (2025 revised edition) 
5. Non-Communicable Diseases Watch (October 2023) – Cholesterol and the Risk of Ischaemic Stroke 
6. Department of Health, Report of Population Health Survey 2020-22, Part 2 
    

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.