【明報專訊】AFTER MORE THAN 20 years' deliberations on healthcare financing reform, the government has chosen to put forward a Voluntary Health Insurance Scheme (VHIS), which, as it is not mandatory, is likely to meet with less opposition. With the general aging of the population, it is hoped that this healthcare financing scheme will help adjust the balance between public and private healthcare by encouraging more people to use private healthcare services so as to relieve pressure on the public system. However, it remains to be seen whether or not the scheme will prove attractive to the middle class.