Involve private insurance

Terry Lum Yat-sang, professor in the Department of Social Work and Social Administration at the University of Hong Kong, suggested the special administrative region government calculate the average annual cost per person in medical care for mainland-based elderly, and allocate that amount to buy medical services from public hospitals in the Greater Bay Area, such as Zhongshan. That would allow Hong Kong retirees to be served medically where they live, instead of returning to Hong Kong.

Encouraging more Hong Kong elderly to join mainland's basic medical insurance will relieve their financial burden too. The Macao government offered an annual subsidy of 1,000 patacas ($124) to seniors aged 65 or above enrolled in basic medical insurance in Zhuhai, Zhongshan and Jiangmen. In August, the program was extended to other mainland cities in the Greater Bay Area.

Fung agreed that helping Hong Kong seniors get medical coverage on the mainland is useful in the short term. In addition, she suggested that Hong Kong government coordinate with private insurance companies for affordable comprehensive plans for mainland-based Hong Kong seniors.