March 2013 Issue No. 199
Annual General Meeting (AGM) 2013
The AGM will be held on Tuesday, 30 April 2013 at 12:00 noon in the HKFI conference room. Please refer to Circular Ref: Mv033/13. Look forward to seeing you at the AGM.
Health Care Reform
As Members are probably aware, the Task Force headed by Mr David Alexander has been meeting the Food and Health Bureau (FHB) and its consultant PricewaterhouseCoopers on a regular basis with the aim of developing a commercially viable Health Protection Scheme (HPS). To ensure the HPS proposed by the FHB is sustainable and offers better choice for consumers, we have recently written to the FHB to explain and try to get their understanding of our industry's position. Going forward, the Honourable K P Chan has kindly arranged for the Task Force to meet FHB and their consultant to thrash out a couple of fundamental issues.
Enhanced Customer Protection Measures for the Purchase of ILAS On 22 March 2013, the LIC organized a briefing to update Members on the latest progress in this area. Following intensive discussions with the IA, the Securities and Futures Commission and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, the LIC has come up with a number of measures to improve the sales process involving the expansion of post-sales calls and the introduction of an Important Facts Statement incorporated in the existing Applicant Declaration. Details will be officially announced after they have been cleared with the relevant regulators.
Educational and Publicity Programmes 2013 The HKFI is celebrating the 25th anniversary this August. To coincide with the happy occasion of our Silver Jubilee, we are going to roll out a multi-media programme to promote the importance of insurance and reaffirm our commitment to corporate social responsibility (CSR). We are about to revamp the HKFI website, the current version of which was launched in 2005. Over the years, we have made various improvements to its functionality, layout, contents, etc. With the introduction of new technologies and online platforms and the changing needs of our stakeholders, we are planning to restructure our website from the users' perspective. The new website is expected to be launched this summer. As for our educational and publicity drive, our focus will be on two major subjects – medical insurance and ILAS – in line with Government’s policy initiative on the former and the upgraded customer protection mechanisms to be introduced later this year. On RoadShow at public buses, insurance experts will answer common questions relating to medical insurance. As for ILAS we will do it through an educational booklet to be distributed via the Next Magazine and an interactive website. Both, together with the educational driver on other lines of business, will be supplemented by the segments broadcast at Commercial Radio 2 (FM903) and Metro Finance (FM104). On the CSR front, we will launch a community campaign for families and children in collaboration with the RoadShow this summer. The Mission Well Community Project jointly organized with the Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs Association will continue to provide financial and life planning education for youngsters and training for the fourth batch of Junior Financial Secretaries. On occupational safety and health projects, we will continue to provide support.