China plays down concerns over state health insurance scheme, but questions remain over ‘value for the money’

National Healthcare Security Administration says a fall in the number of participants in the voluntary urban and rural residents’ scheme is just a ‘slight fluctuation’

Minimum personal contribution has surged by nearly 40 fold in the past two decades, and some do not see ‘enough value for the money’ in the scheme

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A falling participation rate is threatening the sustainability of China’s state medical insurance system as the country deals with the effects of a rapidly ageing population. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 9:00pm, 25 Mar 2024Updated: 10:41am, 26 Mar 2024

China’s state health insurance system regulator has called for more enrolment from vast rural areas, while dismissing widespread concerns over a falling participation rate.

In a latest response to a worrisome slump in the number of participants in the past few years in the scheme designed for farmers and the unemployed, the National Healthcare Security Administration (NHSA) said on Monday the fall was a result of technical improvements and structural adjustments.

The justification came as media reports and field research pointed to waning enthusiasm in the programme thanks to the rising premiums and stagnating incomes amid an economic slowdown.

A lower participation rate means more challenges for China’s health insurance system, which is already under pressure as its population quickly ages and the size of its workforce shrinks.

The NHSA denied there has been a wave of cancellations in the voluntary urban and rural residents’ scheme, which covers roughly just over 70 per cent of China’s 1.4 billion population and is one of the two schemes under the state health insurance system.

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