Hong Kong patients delay care over unclear costs

Prudential says 6 in 10 patients in Hong Kong delay treatment as out-of-pocket payments remain uncertain.

Hong Kong patients are delaying healthcare because they do not know what treatment will cost or how much insurance will cover before care begins.

In an interview during the Asia Summit on Global Health (ASGH) 2026, Arjan Toor, CEO of Health at Prudential, said the affordability problem is not only about treatment prices. The bigger issue is the anxiety patients feel when they cannot predict their out-of-pocket expenses.

“Through the lens of a patient, actually the biggest challenge that people are experiencing when they want to access healthcare in Hong Kong is concern about cost,” he said.

Prudential’s recent patient voices survey across multiple Asian markets found that six out of 10 patients in Hong Kong delay care. Toor said cost anxiety is one of the main reasons. The issue cuts across age groups, with no single demographic standing out as more cost-conscious.

“It's less about the actual cost, it's more about not knowing the cost beforehand that's creating the worry and the anxiety,” Toor said. He added that 56% of surveyed respondents found healthcare costs higher than they had initially expected.

The concern becomes more severe when patients face serious diagnoses. Toor said minor illnesses may not create the same level of worry, but critical conditions raise sharper questions over what patients will need to pay themselves. Cost uncertainty is also tied to gaps in information and access, as patients struggle to understand what is wrong, which treatment path to take, and where to seek care.

This is pushing some patients towards “Dr. Google” or “Dr. AI” instead of certified healthcare professionals, Toor said, because they cannot easily find the information needed to make healthcare decisions.

Prudential is building AI-enabled technology to address information, access and cost uncertainty. Toor said customers need clearer estimates of treatment costs, insurance coverage and out-of-pocket payments before care begins.

“Our obligation is to actually help make the patient experience better,” Toor said. For Prudential, the goal is to reduce cost anxiety so patients can focus on treatment rather than payment uncertainty.