China is beefing up its medical insurance safety network in the country. For those insured under the basic medical policies, they are expected to benefit from an extra coverage for critical illnesses. Authorities said on Friday the policy will reimburse half of the medical costs. It is expected to take effect by the end of this year.
"By the end of April, 31 provinces and cities had launched trial programs. 16 of them have comprehensively carried out the new policy. All together 700 million people are covered by this critical illness insurance, which has increased the reimbursement ratio by 10 to 15 percentage points. This has effectively reduced the number of people who have gone into poverty due to critical illnesses," said Liang Wannian, deputy director of Bureau of Medical Reform Leading Group.
Liang said the government plans to establish a complete critical illness insurance system. It will work closely with medical aids or charity organizations by offering financial aids to those who can't afford the bills after the insurance payout. The policy aims to effectively improve the fairness of China's medical insurance system.
