China Releases 15th Five-Year Plan for Universal Healthcare Security

China's National Healthcare Security Administration has released its blueprint for the 15th Five-Year Plan period, establishing key targets for the country's public medical security system. According to state media reports, the plan aims to maintain basic medical insurance coverage at approximately 95 percent annually, expand long-term care insurance to all pooling regions, stabilize inpatient reimbursement ratios, and mandate direct disbursement of maternity allowances to individuals.

The five-year blueprint sets concrete benchmarks affecting hospital out-of-pocket costs, elderly care support, and birth-related financial protections across the country. Ensuring steady reimbursement rates and streamlining fund disbursements directly impact household healthcare expenses and social security delivery.

China's National Healthcare Security Administration has published the 15th Five-Year Plan for Universal Medical Security, defining the overarching development goals and metrics for the nation's public healthcare safety net over the upcoming planning cycle, according to reports from state media outlets including CCTV News and Xinhua. Under the framework, the government aims to keep the participation rate in basic medical insurance stable at approximately 95 percent each year throughout the 15th Five-Year Plan period. The plan also establishes benchmarks for inpatient expense reimbursements within the national medical insurance catalog, targeting a stable fund payment ratio of around 80 percent for urban employee basic medical insurance and approximately 70 percent for urban and rural resident basic medical insurance. A key institutional reform highlighted in the plan is the nationwide expansion of long-term care insurance, which will be extended to cover all pooling regions across China. The system is designed to provide financial and care assistance to individuals with severe functional disabilities, addressing the care demands of China's rapidly aging demographic. The blueprint also calls for adjustments to the delivery of maternity benefits. All pooling regions will be required to disburse maternity allowances directly to individuals, standardizing a process that has historically varied across administrative jurisdictions. In terms of administrative and financial efficiency, the plan targets a rise in real-time settlement coverage for basic medical insurance fund expenditures. The coverage rate is scheduled to increase from around 70 percent in 2025 to over 80 percent during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, facilitating speedier and more automated fund claims processing for insured patients across medical institutions.