China will improve its social security network over the next
five years to provide basic medical insurance to 300 million urban
residents by 2010, a report in Tuesday's Health News said.
The move is aimed at providing basic medical insurance for
unemployed urban dwellers, including students and laid-off workers,
the report quoted an official with the Ministry of Labor and Social
Security as saying.
Statistics from the ministry showed that China's social medicare
insurance network covered about 145 million urban employees and
retirees. The unemployed have to buy commercial insurance
themselves.
The report said the government would gradually expand the social
medicare network according to China's social and economic
development and "the condition of various groups of people".
The government would start piloting programs soon and then
workout a detailed plan, the report said, without elaborating.
Medicare insurance has remained a tough problem in China where
the large rural population has enjoyed less healthcare than urban
people.
In 2003, the government launched the cooperative medicare
program for its 800 million farmers, under which, the government
and farmers jointly raised funds to help farmers pay for treatment
for major diseases.
The government has announced that it plans to expand the rural
cooperative medical system grandually to 80 percent of villages by
2008.
China had more than 500 million urban residents, said the
report.
(Xinhua News Agency September 21, 2006)