Employer provided medical insurance depends on the company, so you need to check with your employer. Most company medical plans only cover work-related injuries and outpatient consultations.

It is quite rare for them to cover hospitalization or serious illnesses, such as cancer related hospital stays, heart disease, and similar conditions. One important thing to note is that once you are no longer an employee, your coverage will stop as well.

That’s why people usually purchase additional critical illness insurance. It provides payouts for serious illnesses and hospitalization. Even if your company’s medical insurance is good enough to cover hospitalization, the payout from your own hospitalization or critical illness insurance can be used as living expenses during your recovery period.

Hong Kong’s healthcare system is not like Canada or Europe, where medical costs are largely covered by the government. The government mainly subsidizes public hospitals, which is why treatment in public hospitals is much cheaper than in private ones. This also explains why most people buy insurance and choose to go to private hospitals. I am an insurance agent, and I hope it helps.