Public Healthcare Charging Reform | Hospital Authority: Over 640 Fee Waiver Applications Do Not Meet Eligibility Criteria

SighingCashier · 2026-03-17T12:29:34+00:00

As of March 13, the Hospital Authority has approved approximately 200,000 fee waiver applications and identified 640 ineligible applications, mostly due to income or asset limits being exceeded. Upon verification, some families failed to declare assets, resulting in the cancellation of their waivers and requiring them to pay outstanding medical fees. The Hospital Authority emphasized the need for strict review of applications and will handle cases with fraudulent elements.

SighingCashier

2026-03-17 12:29:34

Abstract generation in progress

The Hospital Authority spokesperson stated that as of March 13, nearly 200,000 fee waiver cases have been approved, including approximately 107,300 cases with completed assessments and issued waiver certificates, as well as about 92,400 cases with conditional waivers. To date, around 24,000 conditional waiver cases have completed the submission of supporting documents. During the review process, the Hospital Authority found that over 640 applications did not meet the eligibility criteria, mostly related to income or asset thresholds being exceeded.

The spokesperson explained that one case involved a family of three, who reported no income and assets of only HKD 430,000 at the time of application, and was granted a full conditional waiver. After reviewing the submitted documents, it was confirmed that some assets had not been declared, and the family actually owned assets exceeding HKD 860,000, surpassing the asset limit of HKD 682,000 applicable to this case. The Hospital Authority canceled the conditional waiver issued to the patient and required the applicant to settle all outstanding medical expenses.

The spokesperson also cited another case involving a couple, where the patient was a beneficiary of the 75-and-under Elderly Living Allowance, and the wife was employed full-time. Thanks to the simplified application process introduced after the reform, the wife was not required to submit income proof. However, upon review, the team confirmed that the family owned assets exceeding HKD 630,000, which exceeded the asset limit of HKD 562,000 for medical fee waivers, rendering them ineligible.

The Hospital Authority emphasized the importance of carefully reviewing each application and requiring applicants to provide all relevant financial proof, including available cash, insurance, or Hong Kong Jockey Club betting account records. Random audits of approved cases will also be conducted to ensure that medical fee waivers are used for genuinely needy patients. If any fraudulent activity is discovered during the review, the Authority will take serious action, requiring the applicant to settle all outstanding medical fees and referring the case to law enforcement authorities for follow-up.

View Original

This page may contain third-party content, which is provided for information purposes only (not representations/warranties) and should not be considered as an endorsement of its views by Gate, nor as financial or professional advice. See Disclaimer for details.