Notice on carrying out some key work of the new rural cooperative medical system

(en.nhfpc.gov.cn)

Updated: 2014-07-30

The Health and Family Planning Commissions (Health Bureau) in provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government:

This notice is published to implement related requests set by the notice of the State Council on key jobs of intensifying healthcare reform in 2014, to consolidate and perfect the new rural cooperative medical system, to deepen healthcare reform and to safeguard people’s health benefits. The details are as follows:

1. To continue to improve financing and security level

Different levels of national budget shall raise the subsidies for the new rural cooperative medical system to 320 yuan ($51.80), with the national average individual contributions increasing to 90 yuan per person, according to the notice on increasing fundraising standard of the new rural cooperative medical system and urban medical insurance, which is jointly issued by the Ministry of Finance, National Health and Family Planning Commission, and Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security. As a result of the adjusted and optimized compensation plan, the reimbursement rate of hospitalization expense remains above 75 percent, and the reimbursement rate of outpatient expenditure remains above 50 percent.

2. To accelerate supportive work on crucial illness insurance under the new rural cooperative medical system

In 2014, local authorities nationwide should purchase critical illness insurance with the new rural cooperative medical funds, under the principle of government guidance, market operation, benefit for the people and capital preservation. Provincial and city governments should introduce commercial insurance companies to undertake critical illness insurance, and should establish a sound bidding system and standard operation. All commercial insurance companies can take part in the bidding, and shall sign contracts that expressly state their rights and responsibilities. Reasonable adjustments should be made every year according to the capacity of the new rural cooperative medical funds and the bank balance over the previous year, and the use of multiple fundraising channels is highly encouraged. The security on certain major diseases should be further improved. Phenylketonuria in childhood and hypospadia will be added into the insurance coverage that already includes 20 major diseases such as childhood leukemia, end-stage renal disease, severe mental illness, opportunistic infection of AIDS and lung cancer. Links should be strengthened among the new rural cooperative medical system, critical illness insurance system, medical assistance system and emergency rescue system to provide one-stop service to the people and to integrate system effectiveness. An examination and evaluation mechanism should be built to assess the effectiveness of both the new rural cooperative medical system and the critical illness insurance system.