With Hong Kong having some of the highest fees worldwide for private health insurance, it’s worth investing in an insurer that truly meets your needs, rather than paying for insurance, and then on top of that paying independently for the services you actually use, like naturopathy, psychology, osteopathy, TCM and acupuncture.

The good news is, there are health insurers out there that cover holistic medicine.

Alea are on a mission to empower you to find the right health insurance, with unbiased information and advice. Their insurers cover holistic medicine as well as more traditional services.

Here’s our collaborative breakdown of the insurance providers that cover holistic medicine and their benefits. Alternative medicine includes naturopathy and homeopathy.

Insurance provider & plan		Services covered
Allianz – Care Pro		Osteopathy, homeopathy, Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture: up to 12 sessions per condition. Psychiatry and psychotherapy: up to 20 visits with a waiting period of 18 months. Physiotherapy: fully covered for prescribed physiotherapy (initially limited to 12 sessions per condition) and up to 5 visits/year for non prescribed physiotherapy.
April Hong Kong – Elite		Osteopathy, TCM, acupuncture, alternative medicine: up to HKD 1,723 per visit and combined limit of HKD 39,169 per year. Psychiatry/psychology: up to HKD 39,169 per year. Physiotherapy: covered.
AXA Global Health – Prestige Plus		TCM and acupuncture: up to HKD 1,253 each visit and 15 sessions per year. Alternative medicine: up to 35 sessions per year. Psychiatry/psychology: up to 30 sessions per year. Physiotherapy: up to 35 sessions per year.
Bupa Asia – Deluxe Pro (VHIS Plan)		TCM and acupuncture: fully covered in the insurer network, for other establishments you’re covered for HKD 600 per visit, up to 40 sessions annually. Fully covered for psychiatric treatments within the insurer network, including medication, diagnostic imaging and lab tests prescribed by a psychiatrist. External psychology services are covered up to HKD 1,200 per visit, including medication, diagnostic imaging and lab tests. Physiotherapy: fully covered for treatment for physiotherapy & chiropractic with a written referral letter.
Bupa Global – Ultimate		Osteopathy, TCM, acupuncture, alternative medicine, psychiatry, psychology and physiotherapy: fully covered.
Cigna – Health First Elite 360		Osteopathy: up to HKD 800 per visit, with combined total of HKD 1,600 and 5 visits per policy year. TCM and alternative medicine : up to HKD 800 per visit and 10 annual appointments. Psychiatry/psychology: up to HKD 800 per visit and 5 sessions per policy year. Physiotherapy: Covered.
Cigna Global – Platinum		Osteopathy, TCM, acupuncture, alternative medicine, psychiatry/psychology, and physiotherapy: covered.
Henner – Prestige		Osteopathy, TCM and homoeopaths: up 20 sessions with a maximum of HKD 1,410 per session. Psychiatry: up to HKD 1,958 per visit and max 10 visits per year. Psychologist: up to HKD 1,175 per visit and max 10 visits per year. Physiotherapy: up 20 sessions max HKD 1,406 per session.
Morgan price – Elite		TCM and Acupuncture : up to HKD 15,667 per year. Covers you for 30 visits to a psychiatrist per year, but a referral letter from a physician is required. Physiotherapy: up to HKD 15,624. Alternative medicine and osteopathy are not covered.
NowHealth – WorldCare Apex		Osteopathy, TCM, acupuncture and alternative medicine: covered. Psychiatry/psychology: up to HKD 54,836 and a maximum of 20 sessions per period of cover. Physiotherapy: covered.

Naturopathy

You can think of naturopaths as the GPs of natural medicine. They’re your first port of call, and can create a personalised health plan to treat your concern or meet your health goals.

They can also point you to integrated services that will support your healing, and may make connections that traditional western doctors often won’t for multi-faceted support.

Naturopathic services covered by your insurance cover can include everything from testing to clinical nutrition, herbal medicine, detox, lifestyle plans, supplement prescription costs and more. Services are available to those of all ages from babies to adults.

Osteopathy

From sports injuries to boosting your athletic potential, or supporting you during pregnancy, our osteopaths enhance your physical and mental wellbeing.

They focus on the musculoskeletal system, joints, soft tissues and muscles, optimising blood flow, while relieving tension in order to improve mobility and help your body heal.

Cranial osteopathy is another branch of osteopathy which works with the cranium. Practitioners assess and soothe the rhythm of the cranial system, boosting the health of your nervous system for better emotional wellbeing.

Osteopathy and cranial osteopathy are covered by some insurers and support is available for all ages.

Homeopathy

Homeopathy works on the principle of like cures like. Our homeopaths find truly personalised remedies by taking into account your specific set of symptoms and your personal constitution – both of which will guide them to the right homeopathic remedy.

Insurance covers appointments with practitioners and prescriptions. This service is safe and effective for people of all ages, including children.

Psychology & psychotherapy

For a long time, insurance covering mental health services was limited – luckily this has changed. As well as offering psychiatric inpatient care, many international and comprehensive insurers offer outpatient coverage for therapy sessions.

Many insurers offer full coverage up to 20 sessions per year, which equates to once every 2 weeks. For the full details of mental health coverage, check out Alea’s full report.

TCM & acupuncture

In Hong Kong, between 15% and 20% of our population use Traditional Chinese Medicine doctors, and between 50% and 60% of us have consulted one at least once.

Some insurers will cover both TCM and acupuncture; modalities which support a range of health conditions, from anxiety to joint pain, pregnancy and immunity.

TCM services cover herbal remedies, acupuncture, massage, nutrition, moxibustion and cupping.

Coinsurance

Coinsurance is available for outpatient services like holistic medicine. It’s a cost sharing strategy that means you will cover a percentage of your bill, and your insurer pays the rest. This percentage is pre-agreed and stays the same, regardless of the value of your claim.

Coinsurance usually varies between 10% and 30%.

A 10% coinsurance rate means that you pay 10% and your insurer pays the remaining 90%.

Having a lower coinsurance may mean your yearly premium is higher, but if you frequently use outpatient services, then it may be worthwhile. If you infrequently use these services, then it may make more financial sense to pay a lower premium and higher % coinsurance.

Learn the details of coinsurance and deductibles with Alea.

Round up

Here’s a cheat sheet for the insurers mentioned and the services they cover.

Insurer	Alternative Medicine	TCM / Acupuncture	Osteopathy	Psychiatry / Psychology
Allianz	✔	✔	✔	✔
April Hong Kong	✔	✔	✔	✔
AXA	✔	✔	Χ	✔
Bupa Asia	✔	✔	Χ	✔
Bupa Global	✔	✔	✔	✔
Cigna	✔	✔	✔	✔
Cigna Global	✔	✔	✔	✔
Henner	✔	✔	✔	✔
Morgan Price	Χ	✔	Χ	✔
NowHealth	✔	✔	✔	✔

In Summary

If you tend to use holistic healthcare, you can find insurance providers who will cover you for the services you love most.

Find the right service for you with Alea.