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DESPITE a family history of heart disease, taxi driver Lau Kwok Wai has no medical insurance. Despite this, he is unhappy that the Hong Kong government is pushing for a compulsory medical savings scheme.
'If I put money aside for medical savings, what if I die before I even get to use the money?' the 52-year-old told The Straits Times.
His opposition to the savings scheme - which is similar to Singapore's Medisave - is echoed by many other Hong Kongers, and it is giving the government a headache.
Like Mr Lau, an estimated 4.1 million people last year, or over 60 per cent of the population, had no medical insurance cover and no employee medical benefits. Companies are currently not required to provide workers with medical benefits.
But Hong Kongers have been pampered with minimal medical fees due to hefty subsidies from the government. It foots about 97 per cent of bills.
Patients in public hospitals pay just HK$100 (S$17) a day, which includes meals, consultations and treatment.
This is not sustainable - for the government that is.
The city of seven million people has the world's second-highest life expectancy and one of the lowest birth rates. One in four Hong Kongers will be above 65 years old by 2033.
As medical costs escalate, the government is facing mounting public health expenditure, which is projected to rise from HK$38 billion in 2004 to HK$180 billion in 15 years' time.
Health Secretary York Chow told The Straits Times that reform is crucial.
'An ageing population and rising medical costs are challenges faced by other advanced economies. We are no exception,' he said.
'But without reform, it is not possible to sustain the standard of our existing services in the long term.'
In March, the government unveiled plans to revamp health care, offering six options. It is believed that the authorities prefer mandatory medical savings.
It would require workers who earn above HK$10,000 to put aside up to 5 per cent of their salaries for future health needs.
Part of the funds in the account would be set aside for mandatory medical insurance.
The three-month public consultation on the various options will end on June 13. The government is expected to propose a concrete plan early next year.
Independent legislator Kwok Ka Ki, who represents the medical sector, dismissed the proposed reforms as 'government rhetoric'.
'Hong Kong is spending only 2.9 per cent of its GDP on health care. Compare that with developed countries like Japan at 6.6 per cent and Australia at 6.4 per cent,' he said.
He accused the government of exaggerating the ageing problem 'to scare the public into paying up', and of unfairly targeting the middle class. Lawmakers also lashed out at the government for pushing the burden of public healthcare financing onto workers instead of employers.
'In countries like Singapore, Australia, Japan and even the United States, employers are required to contribute to health plans for their workers,' Dr Kwok added.
Faced with the prospect of the health-care reforms meeting the same fate as last year's proposed goods and services tax - which was shelved indefinitely after a huge public outcry - Dr Chow warned of repercussions if the public cannot agree on a plan.
'If a decision cannot be made...we would have to raise tax rates substantially or cut funding for other public services such as education and social welfare,' he said.
He urged Hong Kongers to consider the benefits of the reform. 'People ask what they can gain. The answer is protection. We can plan many things in life, but our health is unpredictable,' he said.
But many like Mr Lau see no point in saving for a medical rainy day.
'I do not want to worry so much. If I really fall ill, then it is just my bad luck,' he said. 'I just take life one day at a time.'
carynyeo@sph.com.sg
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