Sars medical cover claims in HK will amount to 'peanuts'.

(From Insurance Day)

Byline: Suzanne Moore

MEDICAL insurance claims from Sars sufferers in Hong Kong will amount to "peanuts", according to the territory's insurance commissioner, Benjamin Tang.

Speaking to Insurance Day, Mr Tang said medical claims resulting from severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) were "not that high" so far since the burden would fall largely on the public sector, although it was likely that health insurers would see increases in outpatient and general practitioner costs as policyholders sought reassurance they did not have the virus.

There has been criticism locally of Sars exclusions in some medical policies.

Mr Tang said it would be "up to individuals to negotiate whether (Sars) should be covered (on new policies)", adding that health insurance had been one of the very few business sectors to be boosted by the crisis, with some companies reporting hundreds of additional enquiries per day.

Healthcare provider BUPA told ID that inquiries were up, but it was too early to say whether this would translate into substantial amounts of new Hong Kong business.