China has expanded its employre health insurance programme, enabling more individuals to share account balances with their relatives to cover medical expenses. This initiative aims to ease healthcare costs for families and improve access to medical services.
As of 9 December, 2024, all provincial regions have implemented reforms allowing eligible holders of employee health insurance to link their accounts to those of close family members through online channels.
The programme builds on previous reforms, with the scope of shared account use extended in 2021 to include spouses, parents, and children. In July 2024, it further expanded to “close relatives,” such as siblings, grandparents, and grandchildren.
Data from the National Healthcare Security Administration (NHSA) shows that from January to November 2024, there were approximately 325 million instances of shared account usage, amounting to over 43.86 billion yuan (about $6.1 billion) in spending.
Designated healthcare institutions accounted for 34.31 billion yuan, while retail pharmacies and contributions to the residential basic health insurance programme accounted for 2.07 billion yuan and 7.48 billion yuan, respectively. While all provinces now allow account sharing within their regions, cross-provincial sharing is still being rolled out and is expected to be fully operational by 2025.
This reform involves over 300 million employees and nearly one billion residents covered by health insurance. It is anticipated to reduce family medical costs, enhance financial resilience against health risks, and enable more efficient management of funds across different provinces. The programme also reflects China’s commitment to improving healthcare accessibility and affordability.
