A set of regulations issued on Tuesday stipulates that 290,000
retired army personnel with deformities graded 1 to 6 will receive
medical insurance and subsidies.
"The regulations are designed to distribute public funds more
equally, especially in the poorer countryside, where disabled army
personnel aren't necessarily covered by medical insurance," said an
official with the Ministry of Civil Affairs (MOCA). Official
statistics show that medical care for a soldier with a deformity
graded 1 to 6 costs 6,000 yuan (US$750) per year.
The regulations specify how those eligible can purchase medical
insurance plans with their subsidies, and provides information for
those who cannot afford the minimum premium payments, the official
noted.
According to him, there are 10 grades of deformity for soldiers
in China. People who lose all or most of their working capacity are
graded from 1 to 6, depending on the nature of the disability.
The official noted that the issue of the regulations is an
important step in improving care for retired and disabled army men,
who are given priority under China's national compensation system.
By September 2004, a total of 39 million people were covered by the
system, including members of revolutionary martyrs' families,
disabled army men, retired Red Army soldiers, and retired army
personnel.
To date, China has issued more than 20 sets of national
compensation regulations, and local governments have issued over
2,000 policies.
However, the official pointed out that the regulation currently
being used to compensate army men was issued in 1988, and due to
soaring medical costs it is now outdated. Recognizing this, the
central government increased its national compensation subsidies by
15 percent per year from 1998 to 2004, making a total investment of
44.8 billion yuan (US$5.6 billion).
In addition, the larger cities like Beijing also provide army
personnel with benefits, such as free bus and subway transport and
free entry to museums. In August last year, China invested 7.46
billion yuan (US$941 million) to improve the national compensation
standards for the 16th time.
About 860,000 disabled army men, 500,000 family members of
revolutionary martyrs, 80,000 retired Red Army soldiers and 2.22
million demobilized soldiers benefit from these measures.
(Xinhua News Agency January 18, 2006)