Vital Care Voluntary Health Insurance Flexi Plan

Yes, you can do it by submitting a written request before the renewal date on your renewal notice.

Underwriting isn't needed during policy renewal if you want to:

• change from a Flexi Plan to a Standard Plan
• increase your deductible amount
• downgrade your plan level (e.g. from Diamond to Gold)

However, underwriting is required and we may ask you a few questions before approving a change if you want to:

• decrease your deductible amount (e.g. from HKD50,000 to HKD16,000)
• upgrade your plan level (e.g. from Silver to Gold)

You can enjoy full benefit coverage for hospitalisation at the restricted ward class or lower as stated in the Summary of Benefits. If you’re voluntarily hospitalised at a higher ward class, HSBC Life will adjust your reimbursement based on the terms of your policy.

On the other hand, if you receive treatment outside your chosen coverage area, your eligible expenses will be paid according to the VHIS Standard Plan Terms and Benefits only regardless of ward class. Please refer to the policy for details.

Any Hong Kong taxpayer who has purchased an eligible health insurance plan (certified by the Health Bureau as VHIS) can claim a tax deduction on qualifying VHIS premiums up to HKD8,000 per insured person each year. The relationship between the taxpayer and the insured person must be included in the list of "specified relatives" in the Inland Revenue Ordinance (Cap. 112 of the Laws of Hong Kong SAR).

You can claim the tax deduction in the same tax year when the VHIS premium was paid. The deduction is available for certified plans, but not any other optional benefits, with a policy effective date of 1 April 2019 or later.

There's no limit on the number of insured persons and/or policies each taxpayer claims. Policies purchased for a domestic partner, grandchild(ren) or domestic partner’s parents/children aren't eligible for tax deduction.

To help with the tax deduction process, you’ll receive a VHIS Premium payment record from HSBC Life by the end of April each year. If you have any questions, please contact the Inland Revenue Department.

All the information relating to VHIS tax incentive included in this webpage isn't intended to provide any form of tax advice. We don't provide tax advice. If you are in doubt about your tax status, you should obtain independent professional advice.

A deductible is the amount you’ll pay towards eligible expenses under the certified plan (except for the Medical Check-up Benefit) before HSBC Life starts paying your medical expenses. You can offset the chosen deductible with reimbursement from your group medical plan or existing health insurance, if any, or simply pay the expenses yourself. This VHIS Flexi Plan offers 4 deductible options to lower your premium with more affordable healthcare.

You can choose to lower or remove your deductible within 30 days before the renewal date without re-underwriting once only at any one of the following ages: 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80 or 85. This provides more flexibility for budget planning after retirement.

No, there’s no minimum number of hours that you must stay in the hospital while receiving treatment. Day case surgeries and clinical procedures are covered as well. These include treatments such as plaster casts, wound sutures, radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

You won’t need to worry about any upfront out-of-pocket expenses in a medical situation in Hong Kong as long as you have obtained pre-authorisation from HSBC Life. The final decision of the pre-authorisation application or direct billing approval is subject to the discretion of HSBC Life.

If you'd like to apply for pre-authorisation to enjoy the Cashless Arrangement service before the hospital admission, here're the process:

1. Call the medical claims service hotline to ask about the coverage, and make your appointment with your preferred network doctor directly
2. Present your personal identification document and medical card during registration at the hospital. Once your doctor confirms your medical needs, you can sign the pre-authorisation request form and your doctor will handle the submission for you. Your doctor will then provide HSBC Life with your medical and treatment information as well as the treatment expense quotation
3. Within 5 working days, HSBC Life will inform you of the result of your pre-authorisation request via telephone, you'll then receive a confirmation letter about the guaranteed cashless pre-approval limit in HKD for the planned admission and treatment
4. HSBC Life will notify the network doctor of the pre-authorisation assessment result and approved credit limit
5. Present your personal identification document and medical card at the hospital for admission and treatment.

During the hospital confinement period, you can enjoy the Cashless Arrangement service, subject to the approval and confirmation of the pre-authorisation. If you’re unable to get pre-authorisation due to an emergency, please arrange it on the next working day.

This VHIS Flexi Plan offers HKD0, HKD16,000, HKD50,000 and HKD100,000 deductible options. If you choose a deductible option, HSBC Life will cover the remaining amount up to the benefit limit. Here're some examples:

Example 1 (Mr Chan)

Chosen plan: Bronze level with HKD16,000 deductible

What happened:

• Received a minor operation in hospital with HKD50,000 expenses that are eligible for 100% reimbursement

The amount HSBC Life will pay:

• HKD50,000 – HKD16,000 (deductible) = HKD34,000

After offsetting the HKD16,000 deductible with his company’s group medical plan, Mr Chan doesn’t need to pay any expenses himself.

Example 2 (Ms Wong)

Chosen plan: Bronze level with HKD100,000 deductible

What happened:

• Received a minor operation in hospital with HKD60,000 in expenses that are eligible for 100% reimbursement

The amount HSBC Life will pay:

• As her expenses are less than her deductible (HKD100,000), HSBC Life won’t pay any benefit

Ms Wong needs to pay HKD60,000 herself.

Please visit any of our branches and apply for your family members with the help of our staff.

Yes, this plan covers VAT and GST charged on medical fees and expenses according to the policy terms and benefits. Please note that VAT and GST aren't levied on medical expenses in Hong Kong. However, they may be applicable if you seek treatment in other regions.

Only one policyholder^[10] is accepted under each VHIS plan.

Subject to the approval of HSBC Life at its discretion, the Policy Holder may transfer the ownership of this Policy by completing the prescribed form and sending it to HSBC Life. HSBC Life shall consider application of transfer of ownership at the time of Policy renewal without any administration charge to the Policy Holder or transferee. The change of ownership shall not be effective until HSBC Life has approved the change and notified in writing to the Policy Holder and transferee. From the effective date of the change of ownership, the transferee shall be treated as the Policy Holder^[11], and the absolute owner of this Policy and be responsible for the payment of the premiums, including any outstanding premiums.

HSBC Life shall not reject any application by the Policy Holder for the transfer of ownership to : 

• the Insured Person if they've reached the age of 18 years;
• the parent or the guardian of the Insured Person if they're a Minor; or,
• any person whose familial relationship with the Insured Person is accepted by HSBC Life according to its prevailing underwriting practices which are readily accessible by the Policy Holder.

Meanwhile, the Policy Holder may nominate a person to be the successive Policy Holder of the VHIS Policy in the event of their death. If the Policy Holder dies, but has not named a successive Policy Holder for this Policy or the named successive Policy Holder refuses the transfer, the ownership of this Policy shall be transferred to :

• the Insured Person if they've reached the age of 18 years; or,
• the parent or the guardian if the Insured Person is a Minor. If the parent or the guardian refuses the transfer, the ownership of this Policy shall be transferred to the administrator or executor of the Policy Holder’s estate.

The transfer of ownership of the VHIS Policy in accordance with the above shall be conditional upon HSBC Life, subject to the approval of HSBC Life at its discretion including but not limited to having received satisfactory evidence of the Policy Holder’s death, the satisfaction of customer due diligence. The change of ownership shall not be effective until HSBC Life has approved the change.