China encourages long-term basic medical insurance participation

BEIJING -- The General Office of China's State Council has released a set of guidelines for maintaining high-level participation in basic medical insurance program in the long term.

According to the guidelines, China will encourage people already covered by the basic medical insurance program, which has covered 1.334 billion, or over 95 percent, of its population at the end of 2023, to continue participating without quitting.

As stated in the guidelines, starting from 2025, people who have continuously participated in the basic medical insurance program for four years can receive an incentive for each additional year of further continuous participation, which is a yearly increase of no less than 1,000 yuan ($140) of their maximum insurance payout limit for major illnesses.

From next year, people who participate in the basic medical insurance program but have not used any medical insurance fund reimbursements during the whole year can have the maximum payout limit for major illnesses increased by no less than 1,000 yuan in the following year.

The guidelines also state that from 2025, people who have once quit the basic medical insurance program will need to wait for at least three months after the insurance is resumed before they can use reimbursement again.

Fan Weidong, an official with the National Healthcare Security Administration, said at a press conference on Thursday that such policies are aimed at protecting the interests of all people participating in the basic medical insurance program and sustaining the stable operation of the medical insurance funds.

The guidelines were adopted at a State Council executive meeting in June.