Comparison of High-end VHIS Plans

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  1. 0Intro
  2. 1 What is Medical Insurance?
  3. 2 What is VHIS?
  4. 3 Types of VHIS
  5. 4 VHIS Premiums
  6. 5 VHIS Coverage/ Benefits
  7. 6 VHIS Tax Deduction Guide
  8. 7 How to get insured and file claims?
  9. 8 Slangs you may be interested in
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Comparison of High-end VHIS Plans

High-end medical insurances are usually full-covered, and are able to support medical treatments in semi-private rooms or above. With deductible options, premiums could be reduced. At first glance, high-end medical insurance is indeed attractive, but the product designs are usually more complicated, and the coverages vary significantly between plans. Learn how to compare them fairly to get the best plan for yourself.

How many high-end VHIS Plans are available on the market?

Since the launch of VHIS, it has been popular among consumers. In order to give more protection, many insurance companies work hard on product design and have launched high-end VHIS Plans with more comprehensive coverage.

As of February 2023, a total of 16 insurance companies in Hong Kong have launched over 35 high-end VHIS plans, each with at least three deductible options , including Bowtie Pink (Semi-Private/ Private).

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Comparison of 3 high-end VHIS plans

Bowtie selected 2 other high-end VHIS that offer online application options for comparison. All 3 companies offer plans of different levels that could support expenses in standard, semi-private and private wards, cover different regions, and with different lifetime/annual benefit limits.

The actual benefit for the insured person depends on the level of the chosen plan.

  1. Comparison of covered hospital wards and region
BowtieCompany BCompany C
Covered ward typeStandard/Semi-private/Private Ward👍🏽Semi-private room/Private WardStandard/Semi-private Ward
Area of CoverageGlobal1👍🏽Asia, Australia and New Zealand/ Global2 Asia 3/Global
  • *Psychiatric treatment coverage is limited to Hong Kong
  • 1Excluding hospitals in the United States and some hospitals in China
  • 2Excluding hospitals in the United States
  • 3Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, North Korea, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam
Details of coverage
  • Bowtie provides coverage to standard, semi-private and private wards worldwide (excluding hospitals in the US and some in China).
  • Company B offers 4 levels of plans:
    • Level 1: Covers semi-private rooms in Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and Mainland China, and standard private rooms in other parts of Asia, Australian, and New Zealand.
    • Level 2: Covers semi-private rooms in Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and Mainland China, and standard private rooms worldwide (excluding the US).
    • Level 3: Covers private rooms in Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.
    • Level 4: Covers private rooms worldwide (excluding the US).
  • Company C offers coverage to standard/semi-private wards in Asia.

The so-called “high-end VHIS” mostly covers semi-private rooms or above. So when choosing a plan, you can examine your own needs before applying:

  1. If you unfortunately fall ill, would you prefer to have a room to yourself to rest and recover?
  2. Do you have any specific room requirements (such as a private bathroom, TV, WiFi, or even a small living room)?

If you already have a long list of room requirements, a “private room plan” may be more suitable for you!

However, plans that cover “private wards” are generally more expensive, so it is recommended to budget carefully before applying. For example, for a 30-year-old person (regardless of gender/smoking status) applying for a Bowtie Pink VHIS with a deductible of HK$50,000:

WardSemi-privatePrivate
PremiumHK$208HK$299
(43.75% more expensive)
HK$547
(162.9% more expensive, almost 2x
Find out how much it costs to get coverage in a semi-private/ private room! Try using Bowtie's premium calculator!

⚡Bowtie VHIS Blog Promo!

Tired of sky-high private hospital bills but hesitant about purchasing VHIS? Bowtie Pink provides full coverage*, with long-term premiums are substantially lower than market rates^.

For a limited time, use the exclusive Bowtie Blog promo code 【BLOGDECINSURE】to get 50% off the first year’s premium and secure top-tier health protection at an unbeatable price!



*Full coverage shall mean no itemized benefit sub-limits, and applies to designated benefit items only. The benefit payable shall be subject to the remaining deductible (if applicable), annual benefit limit, lifetime benefit limit and other limitations such as reasonable and customary charges, a pre-existing condition, “List of Designated Hospitals in Mainland China” and receiving medical treatment in the United States. For detailed terms and conditions, product risks, and exclusions, please refer to the relevant product website and policy.
^For example, with Bowtie Pink (Ward) and the deductible option HK$80,000, the monthly premium for a 30-year-old non-smoker is HK$186. The premium comparison above is based on similar medical insurance plans with the ward level (data source on 27, July 2023), HK$50,000 to HK$80,000 deductibles, for a 30-year-old non-smoker. Different medical insurance plans have different coverage and benefit limits. For details, please refer to the relevant insurance policy and its terms and conditions.

  1. Comparison of basic coverage items:

A. Diagnosis
BowtieCompany BCompany C
Specialist’s fee1Full coverage3
B. Hospitalization
BowtieCompany BCompany C
Room and BoardFull coverage3Full coverage3

(Up to 180 days per year)

Attending doctor’s visit fee
Intensive careFull coverage3

(Up to 25 days per year)

C. Surgery
BowtieCompany BCompany C
Surgeon’s fee

Full coverage3

Anaesthetist’s fee
Operating theatre charges
Day case procedure cash benefitHK$1,300/ SessionXX
D. Non-surgical treatment
BowtieCompany BCompany C
Prescribed non-surgical cancer treatments4

Full coverage3

Psychiatric treatments

(Inpatient treatment only)1

Outpatient kidney dialysis#1
  • 1 The company reserves the right to request supporting documents for written advice, such as referral letters or statements provided by the attending physician or registered doctor in the claim application form.
  • 2Including: Radiotherapy, Chemotherapy, Targeted therapy, Immunotherapy, Hormonal therapy
  • 3Full coverage refers to no benefit limit for each item, and the insurance company will provide full compensation for medical necessary treatment/hospitalization expenses based on the "annual/lifetime benefit limit".
  • #Only for outpatient consultation

What are the differences between 3 High-end VHIS plans?

Similarities:

All three plans provide full compensation for the basic coverage, without benefit limit for individual items, and are only affected by (1) the annual benefit limit, (2) the lifetime benefit limit, and (3) whether the medical expenses are necessary.

Differences:

Some plans have specified limits to treatment days, such as Company C, which has restrictions on hospitalization days. In addition, they also provide different additional/special coverage, such as Bowtie‘s Day case procedure cash benefit, which is not provided by the others.

Since the structure of high-end medical products is relatively complicated, the above article only lists some of the basic coverage. If you are particularly interested in a certain plan, it is best to download the relevant benefit table before deciding to apply, and carefully read whether the plan covers the items that meet your needs, in order to avoid over- or under-insurance situations.

You can view all details on the website of the Voluntary Health Insurance Scheme of the Health Bureau.

3. Comparison of annual and lifetime benefit limit

BowtieCompany B Company C
Standard Ward PlanAnnual Benefit LimitHK$8mNot availableHK$5m
Lifetime Benefit LimitHK$40mNot available
Semi-Private Ward PlanAnnual Benefit LimitHK$10mHK$25m – 35mHK$30m
Lifetime Benefit LimitHK$50mNot availableNot available
Private Ward PlanAnnual Benefit LimitHK$20mHK$30-40mNot available
Lifetime Benefit LimitHK$80mNot available

From the above table, you could see that Company B and C’s plans do not have a “lifetime benefit limit”, and provide a higher “annual benefit limit”. Policyholders do not need to worry about inadequate coverage, but of course, they also need to pay a higher premium.

In the following text, we will show you the premiums of the three plans to allow for a comprehensive comparison.

4. Comparison of Deductibles

BowtieCompany B Company C
Deductible HK$0 – HK$80kHK$0 – HK$80kHK$0 – HK$75k

In order for individuals to purchase high-end VHIS plans with a lower budget, insurance companies usually offer multiple deductible options.

Deductibles allow policyholders to match their newly purchased high-end plan with the existing medical protection, to get the most suitable medical coverage with affordable premium. Since everyone’s medical needs, financial situation, and existing coverage are different, there is actually no never an ideal deductible amount.

If you are also covered by other individual medical insurance or group medical insurance, you can determine the amount of the deductible based on your existing coverage. For example, if your existing coverage is sufficient to compensate for HK$80k in medical expenses, then you can choose a high-end VHIS with an HK$80k deductible, ensuring that all medical expenses can be fully reimbursed by 2 plans.

If you want to get more detailed guidance on deductibles, you can click here to read more.

Monthly Premium Comparison

To allow for a fair comparison, we have chosen the most similar plans from the three companies for premium comparison:

  • Deductible from HK$40,000 to HK$50,000
  • Cover semi-private room
BowtieCompany B^Company C^
Deductible$50k$40k$50k
Covered ward typeSemi-Private Room
Premium
10$227$365$267
20$251$378$275
30$317$443$362
40$385$635$465
50$648$991$722
60$1019$1770$1231
70$1,833$3220
$2053
  • The above premiums are not affected by gender.
  • *Assuming the insured person does not smoke
  • ^Calculated by dividing the annual premium by 12 months (rounded up)
  • Note: The above standard premiums were obtained from the Health Bureau on December 7, 2023. Insurance companies may update premiums from time to time. Please refer to the official website for current prices.

We recommend that you budget carefully before purchasing, calculate the monthly premium amount that you can afford, and be a smart consumer.

Of course, if you find that the premium increase is unreasonable and difficult to afford after several years of coverage, you can switch to another company in a timely manner!

Bowtie VHIS Switching Offer available now!

New customers who successfully enroll in the first Bowtie VHIS using the promo code “SWITCH24” with any non-Bowtie in-force medical insurance policy can enjoy a 50% discount on the first-year premium! 

How the switching offer works?

Bowtie reserves the right to require customers to present a non-Bowtie medical insurance policy in force at the time of application or claim as proof.

As there is no unified standard for the design of high-end VHIS products, the coverage scope of different plans can vary greatly. Therefore, in addition to comparing premiums, it is recommended to spend more time comparing coverage items, deductibles, and other details of coverage, in order to find the plan that best suits one’s needs.

Learn more about Bowtie Pink

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The content of this article is provided by Bowtie Team and serves for reference only. It does not represent Bowtie's position. Bowtie assumes no responsibility for any loss or damage incurred by any person as a result of using, misusing, or relying on any information or content herein. Any content related to Bowtie products in this article is for reference and educational purposes only. Customers should refer to the detailed terms and conditions on the relevant product web pages.
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