China plans to expand basic medical insurance coverage for children by streamlining enrollment procedures and stepping up advocacy campaigns, according to a circular released by the National Healthcare Security Administration last week.
The document said that by the end of next year, more than 80 percent of newborns will be covered by national basic medical insurance within a year of birth and that the insurance coverage rate for children may further increase around the end of 2025.
To achieve these objectives, the administration said that nursery care facilities, communities and employers should be mobilized to spread awareness about insurance enrollment among parents.
Under normal circumstances, newborns should be insured within 90 days of birth and all medical expenses incurred during the period should be reimbursable, the circular said.
"Local governments should integrate processing of registrations and other affairs related to newborns and step up information sharing between healthcare security and health authorities," it said.
The circular added that localities should explore the scrapping of residential registrations that would hinder children from enrolling in insurance programs at their places of residence or where they go to school.
"It is also important to monitor rates of insured children and analyze reasons for uninsured primary or middle school students," it added.
China's national healthcare insurance program provides a basic safety net for children. As of last year, about 256 million children were enrolled, according to the administration.
"However, problems such as lengthy and complicated steps for getting enrolled, lack of awareness among some parents and residential restrictions still exist," it said.
Ma Li, the mother of a 4-month-old girl in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, said that she applied for a medical security card, along with a birth certificate, for her daughter on Dec 13 and made the first payment on Dec 21. "The procedures were quite easy and I finished them online," she said.
Ma said that she vaguely remembered a medical staff member reminding her about medical insurance when she was hospitalized to give birth, but did not pay much attention at the time.
"It was not until my baby had symptoms of neonatal jaundice and infection and needed to check into the hospital that I seriously got down to look up information about medical insurance for infants," she said.
"Eventually, the course of treatment for my daughter cost around 3,000 yuan ($417). Thanks to the insurance policy, more than half of the medical fee can be reimbursed."
However, to receive reimbursement for medical expenses, Ma said she had to visit a community hospital, which only opens two days a week to handle such cases. "I submitted all the required materials on Jan 9 and have not received my reimbursement yet," she said.
Ma added that her husband's company offers the benefit of a commercial insurance plan for its employees' children, and she is also considering purchasing a critical illness insurance plan for her baby.
Cai Fucheng, a pediatrician at Wuhan Union Hospital of China, told People's Daily that the insurance coverage rate for newborns at the hospital has topped 95 percent thanks to strengthened efforts to promote awareness when providing prenatal and postnatal care.
(Source: China Daily)
32.3KPlease understand that womenofchina.cn,a non-profit, information-communication website, cannot reach every writer before using articles and images. For copyright issues, please contact us by emailing: [email protected]. The articles published and opinions expressed on this website represent the opinions of writers and are not necessarily shared by womenofchina.cn.
Jon Wysocki dead at 53: Staind drummer passes away
Overseas Chinese history museum opens new branch in S. China
FDA brings lab tests under federal oversight in bid to improve accuracy and safety
Chinese FM holds talks with Bolivian counterpart
Student fatally shot, suspect detained at Georgia's Kennesaw State University
Explosion kills 3 including 2 children in Myanmar's Yangon
Convicted robber, 45, admits stabbing charity busker, 87, while riding his mobility scooter
1 dead, 7 missing after 2 Japan MSDF helicopters crash near Izu Islands
Liverpool confirms Arne Slot as Jurgen Klopp's replacement
8th Aswan int'l women film festival opens in Egypt
Saudi Arabia is going to sponsor the WTA women's tennis rankings under a new partnership
Music and martial arts witness China