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LCQ1: Elderly Health Care Vouchers Scheme
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     Following is a question by the Hon Wilson Or and a written reply by the Secretary for Food and Health, Dr Ko Wing-man, in the Legislative Council today (April 12):

Question:

     Under the Elderly Health Care Voucher Scheme (EHCVS), the Government provides health care vouchers with a total value of $2,000 per person annually to eligible elderly persons aged 70 or above to subsidise their use of private primary care services. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) as it has been reported that some service providers charge elderly persons using health care vouchers consultation or service fees which are higher than those they charge other service users, and I have also often received such kind of enquiries or complaints, whether the authorities conducted any survey in the past three years on the levels of fees charged for various kinds of services; and

(2) of the progress of the review of EHCVS conducted by the authorities, including (i) whether any study has been conducted on extending the scope of application of health care vouchers to cover the costs for buying medical equipment (such as hearing aids), and (ii) what measures are in place to monitor the fees charged by service providers?

Reply:

President,

     In the 2017 Policy Address, the Government proposed to lower the eligibility age for the Elderly Health Care Vouchers (EHV) Scheme from 70 to 65. It is expected that about 400 000 more elderly persons will benefit from it. Subject to the passage of the Appropriation Bill 2017, this enhancement measure will be implemented within 2017.

     My reply to the Hon Wilson Or's question is as follows:

(1) At present, health care vouchers can be used for private primary care services provided by 10 categories of locally registered healthcare professionals, namely medical practitioners, Chinese medicine practitioners, dentists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, medical laboratory technologists, radiographers, nurses, chiropractors and optometrists. It may not be feasible to regulate or investigate the items of fees included and the levels of fees charged by private service providers under the EHV Scheme. However, the Department of Health (DH) has issued letters to participating service providers to remind them of the proper practices in making voucher claims, e.g. not imposing different charges on voucher users and non-users, enhancing the transparency of service charges as far as possible, explaining the charges to patients at their request before providing service, and allowing patients to make choices of different management plans which may have different service charges upon explanation by healthcare staff.

(2) (i) Under the existing EHV Scheme, vouchers cannot be used solely for purchasing medications or other medical equipment or products. However, vouchers can be used for preventive, curative and rehabilitative services, including the treatments provided by healthcare service providers in their professional capacities to meet the healthcare needs of elderly patients after consultation, as well as the medications and medical products, etc. provided to patients during the course of treatment. In this regard, healthcare service providers should assume professional responsibility towards their patients. Such arrangements serve to protect patients' rights while allowing a certain extent of flexibility to facilitate the use of vouchers by the elderly to pay for various private primary care services. 

(ii) To protect the interests of the elderly, it is stipulated in the terms and conditions of the EHV Scheme Agreement that participating service providers shall ensure that the voucher amount used by an elderly person does not exceed the fee for the healthcare service received on a particular occasion. They shall not charge the elderly any fees for creating a voucher account or using vouchers. Generally speaking, if any participating service provider fails to comply with the terms and conditions of the EHV Scheme Agreement, the voucher claims will not be reimbursed by the Government. In case the reimbursement has been made, the Government will recover the amount from the service provider concerned. A service provider suspected of fraud or professional misconduct will be referred by the DH to the Police and/or relevant statutory organisations (such as the Medical Council of Hong Kong) for follow-up, which may lead to disqualification from participating in the scheme.  Besides, registered healthcare professionals have to abide by their codes of professional conduct and ethics and to fulfil their professional obligations.

     The DH is currently conducting a review of the EHV Scheme in collaboration with The Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care of The Chinese University of Hong Kong. The review covers the impacts of the vouchers on primary care services for the elderly, e.g. any change in the health-seeking behaviour of voucher users. We will consider enhancing the Scheme as appropriate taking into account the review findings and the Government's overall fiscal condition.
 
Ends/Wednesday, April 12, 2017
Issued at HKT 12:40
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