Guideline seeks to further medical insurance reform
A guideline on deepening reform of China's medical insurance system was unveiled by the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council on March 5.
The authorities said it would further implement the decisions and plans made at the 19th National Congress of the CPC on establishing a distinctively Chinese system for medical insurance, and solve the problems of unbalanced and insufficient development of medical insurance.
The goal of the reform is to set up a medical security system centered on basic medical insurance and underpinned by medical aid by 2030, the guideline said.
It calls for efforts to improve the treatment insurance mechanism, noting that fair and moderate treatment insurance is an intrinsic requirement for enhancing people's well-being.
The insurance mechanism for medical costs during major epidemic outbreaks should be improved, with measures such as releasing special medical insurance payment policies to ensure that medical institutions can provide treatment before charging and that treatment will not be affected by patients' concerns over fees.
The guideline also urges efforts to make the financing of medical insurance more stable and sustainable, and proposes methods to set up an effective and efficient mechanism for medical insurance payments.
The document also covers the monitoring of funds, supply-side reform of medical services and other issues in the country's medical insurance system.
Well-being of community workers a top priority
Community workers on the front line of the fight against the novel coronavirus pneumonia epidemic should be better cared for, according to the leading group of the Communist Party of China Central Committee on coping with the outbreak.
They had been bravely sticking to their posts day and night to implement the decisions of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, the leading group said in a notice issued on March 3.
It asked provincial-level party committees and governments, as well as central and State organs to work to improve the well-being of community workers.
They should grant moderate subsidies to the workers while ensuring their current pay. Provincial-level governments should guide cities and counties in designing their own subsidy standards.
The authorities should make sure the workers enjoy insurance in case of occupational injuries, and improve the protective gear they use for work.
They should also reduce their workload. Assigning the same tasks repeatedly and making them fill out an excessive number of forms should be stopped.
The leading group encouraged the use of information technology to improve the efficiency of epidemic prevention and control at the community level.
The authorities should be alert to the physical and mental health of community workers, the leading group said. They should provide them with sufficient rest while ensuring there are enough workers to tackle the epidemic in communities.