The cost of healthcare treatment in worldwide continues to rise rapidly, an no where is this more demonstrably true than in Hong Kong. At current rates of medical inflation, Hong Kong will soon rival the USA as the worlds most expensive location for medical care.
Hong Kong is currently experiencing a high level of economic buoyancy, having been quick to recover from the global financial crisis of 2008 2009, and this is driving more and more people to seek a higher standard of private healthcare. As a result of this increased demand, the availability of high quality private medical treatment has become limited, and this in turn has served to increase the overall costs of private healthcare in Hong Kong.
Unfortunately for healthcare consumers, these increased costs of medical treatment are now being passed down in the form of increased medical insurance premiums.
Hong Kong is currently listed as the second most expensive place in the world to receive medical treatment after the USA, and the costs associated with medical treatment in Hong Kong are likely to continue to rise in the short term.
A standard general practitioners (GP) consultation in the USA will cost a federal average of US$100 approximately. By contrast, a patient choosing to utilize the private healthcare system in Hong Kong will often be charged over US$100 simply for walking through the door. The Matilda hospital, for example, has an average GP consultation charge of US$ 102, while the Sanatorium hospital prices are typically closer to US$153 for the same services.
It is true that the number one cause for personal bankruptcy in the USA is an inability to pay costly medical bills, and when examining the cost associated with a number of typical medical procedures it is easy to see why a large portion of the population has a difficult time affording quality healthcare. The average cost associated with a Routine Maternity delivery, for example, will be an estimated US$ 7,600 in America in many cases a significant portion of a familys annual income. That same procedure in a Hong Kong hospital can cost between US$ 7,197 to US$ 8,500. While it is understandable that medical fees will trend upwards over time, it is also clear that the rise of these costs is getting slightly out of hand.
While President Obama has made significant process towards the reformation of the American Healthcare system, there are still some fairly major issues to be addressed not the least of which is the actual cost of medical services rather than the insurance coverage for the same.