In 2023, China’s medical insurance system demonstrated stable operation, marked by enhanced public service and robust financial security, according to a recent report by the National Healthcare Security Administration.
The administration’s statistical report, released on Thursday, highlights significant strides in the country’s medical insurance sector over the past year.
One of the key improvements is in the convenience of cross-regional medical visits. By the end of 2023, over 550,000 medical and pharmaceutical institutions were integrated into the national medical insurance network, enabling trans-provincial settlement of medical bills. This network includes approximately 198,000 medical facilities and 352,400 pharmacies.
Throughout the year, cross-regional outpatient visits, emergency room visits, and inpatient admissions totaled 243 million, incurring medical expenses of 711.1 billion yuan (about $98.2 billion). These figures represent a substantial increase from the 110 million visits and 521.7 billion yuan in medical expenses recorded in 2022.
Access to medical and healthcare services under the national insurance program has also improved significantly. In 2023, the program delivered 2.61 billion services to citizens, marking a 21.1 percent increase from the previous year.
China now boasts the world’s largest basic healthcare insurance network, with coverage extending to over 95 percent of its population by the end of 2023.
In a bid to reduce medical costs, China has also implemented centralized bulk drug procurement. Two procurement rounds conducted in 2023 covered 80 drugs, resulting in an average price reduction of 57 percent.
The national basic healthcare insurance scheme now includes over 3,000 Western and traditional Chinese medicines, with an increasing number of drugs for cancer and rare diseases added to the list.
China remains committed to advancing its medical and healthcare systems through ongoing reforms. Planned measures include enhancing the public health system, upgrading community-level medical services, and further reforming public hospitals.
This year has also seen the initiation of a new update to the catalog of insurance-covered medicines, a move expected to yield additional benefits for the public, according to Zhu Weiguo, an official at Peking Union Medical College Hospital responsible for medical insurance.
