China expands healthcare insurance to ease childbirth financial burden

China has expanded maternity insurance coverage and streamlined subsidy delivery, reducing childbirth expenses for new parents across the country.

Seven provinces, including Jilin, Jiangsu and Shandong, have taken the lead in largely freeing mothers of personal expenses for giving birth.

Since the beginning of this year, more than 7,000 new mothers in Guangzhou, the provincial capital of Guangdong in south China, have spent less than 100 yuan (around 14 U.S. dollars) out of pocket after maternity insurance reimbursement.

Shen Yun, a resident in Changchun, the provincial capital of Jilin in the northeast, just gave birth to twins. She had worried about large expenses, particularly for the incubator costs for her newborns.

Yet the newborn real-time medical reimbursement policy eased her financial burden.

"Now it seems I earned something in giving birth. After the reimbursement, the total expenses are minimal," said Shen.

"She referred to the maternity allowance, plus the national childcare subsidy of 3,600 yuan (about 505 U.S. dollars) a year. After adding everything up, we even have some money left from the childbirth expenses," said Shen's husband Wang Yunhao.

The maternity allowance -- also known as maternity leave pay -- has seen reform in its delivery process.

In recent years, many regions have shifted from the "employer payment" model to "direct payment to individuals," allowing insured female employees to receive their benefits more conveniently.

According to the National Healthcare Security Administration (NHSA), with Jiangsu and Liaoning launching the new system on November 1, a total of 25 provinces nationwide have now implemented direct disbursement of maternity allowances to individuals.

In Xiangtan Central Hospital of central China's Hunan Province, an expectant mother named Chen Yingjie said in the past she would have to submit documents such as her marriage certificate and birth permit at the end of her maternity leave to her employer before she could receive the subsidy.

The new "direct-to-individual" payment system has made a noticeable difference for her.

"New mothers used to describe the process of getting the maternity allowance as running a marathon, as it was prolonged and involved too many red tape procedures. Now I just fill out one form and wait for the payment to come in my bank account," said Chen.

China expands healthcare insurance to ease childbirth financial burden

Xi'an, the capital city of what is now northwest China's Shaanxi Province, has played a pivotal role in facilitating China's exchanges with the rest of the world through the ancient Silk Road.

The city, which was called Chang'an in ancient China, served as the starting point of the Silk Road. Chang'an was the capital city of several ancient Chinese dynasties, including the Western Han and the Tang, from 202 BC to AD 907.

Stepping out of the Xi'an Railway Station, one will encounter the colossal ruins of the Danfeng Gate of the Daming Palace. This gate was the national gateway of the Tang Dynasty (618-907).

Over 1,300 years ago, envoys from all nations from every corner of the world would pass through this very gate to pay homage to what was then the world's most powerful empire.

In Istanbul, the Topkapi Palace Museum, built in 1478, was the heart of the Ottoman Empire.

As camel bells echoed across deserts from Chang'an and merchant ships sailed oceans from east China's Quanzhou City, treasures of civilization from ancient China ultimately settled within this museum.

Its collections include vast numbers of Chinese paintings, calligraphy, and precious gold and silver artifacts, among them 12,000 pieces of Chinese porcelain.

At the Topkapi Palace Museum, these porcelain wares now stand on display for the world, telling a history of civilizational exchange spanning Eurasia.

Northwest China's Xi'an plays pivotal role in boosting ancient exchanges with outside world