The National Healthcare Security Administration has recently issued a five-year plan for national healthcare security, aiming to reduce the financial burden of medical care for the public.
The plan says that in five years, the basic medical insurance participation rate will be maintained at around 95 percent and the long-term care insurance system will cover all the coordinated regions.
The reimbursement rate for inpatient expenses covered by the basic medical insurance catalog will be stabilized at around 80 percent for basic medical insurance for urban employees and at around 70 percent for basic medical insurance for rural and non-working urban residents, according to the plan.
The coverage rate of real-time settlement expenditures from the basic medical insurance fund will increase from around 70 percent in 2025 to over 80 percent, and all the coordinated regions will implement direct payment of maternity allowances to individuals, it says.
China releases healthcare security plan to reduce financial burden for public
China has added Kyrgyzstan and Vietnam to its 240-hour visa-free transit program, bringing the total number of countries eligible for this policy to 57, immigration authorities announced on Thursday.
Effective from Aug 20, citizens of Kyrgyzstan and Vietnam holding ordinary passports and interline passenger tickets with confirmed dates and itineraries bound for a third country or region may enter China through any of the 65 ports across the country and stay up to 240 hours, or 10 days, without a visa, according to the National Immigration Administration (NIA).
Citizens of these two countries holding ordinary passports will also be eligible for the 30-day visa-free entry policy for Hainan Province in south China starting the same day, allowing them to enter the province through Hainan's open ports and stay visa-free for up to 30 days. With these additions, the number of countries covered by this Hainan visa-free policy has increased to 61.
During the visa-free period, travelers are permitted to engage in tourism, business, exchange visits and family visits. However, the two policies do not cover employment, study or journalistic activities, which still require appropriate visas, the NIA said.
These measures are part of China's broader efforts to boost international travel and exchanges.
China adds Kyrgyzstan, Vietnam to 240-hour visa-free transit program
