"Huimin Bao" Iterates and Upgrades to Start Again

Recently, the "Beijing Universal Health Insurance" for the year 2025 has started accepting applications. Beijing Universal Health Insurance is jointly guided by the Beijing Municipal Medical Security Bureau and the Office of the Financial Committee of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee, supervised by the Beijing Regulatory Bureau of the National Financial Regulatory Administration, underwritten by China People's Insurance, China Life Insurance, and co-underwritten by Taikang Insurance, Pacific Insurance, Ping An Insurance, and Beijing Life Insurance. It is the only city-customized commercial supplementary medical insurance in Beijing. This year's premium for Beijing Universal Health Insurance remains unchanged at 195 yuan per person per year. Insured individuals who have participated for three consecutive years without any claims will receive additional continuous participation benefits, which not only further reduce the deductible for out-of-pocket expenses outside the medical insurance catalog but also enjoy practical and rich health management services.

Recently, the State Council issued "Several Opinions on Strengthening Regulation, Preventing Risks, and Promoting High-Quality Development of the Insurance Industry," proposing to enhance the service guarantee level of health insurance; promote the deep integration of commercial health insurance and health management; and encourage the provision of insurance products targeting groups such as the elderly and patients with chronic diseases. In recent years, commercial health insurance represented by "Huimin Insurance" has become an important part of the multi-level medical security system. Data from the National Financial Regulatory Administration shows that there are a total of 157 insurance companies in China engaged in health insurance business, covering nearly 800 million people. Over the past five years, commercial health insurance has paid a total of 1.7 trillion yuan in economic compensation to the sick population.

Guo Zuo Jian, Deputy Director of the Beijing Regulatory Bureau of the Financial Regulatory Administration, introduced that the number of participants in Beijing Universal Health Insurance has increased year by year, rising from 3.07 million in the first year to 4.25 million in 2024. Additionally, since 2022, when the new citizen group was included in the coverage, more than 300,000 new citizens have participated, strongly reflecting the characteristics of universal insurance with wide coverage and equitable access.

Since the beginning of this year, several cities including Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Shenzhen have seen iterations and upgrades of "Huimin Insurance." In addition to continuing to adhere to the relaxed participation conditions of "no restrictions on disease types, no restrictions on age, and no restrictions on household registration," "Huimin Insurance" remains affordable in price, while the coverage has expanded to include specific medications and increased practical health management services, further lowering the deductible.

Taking the 2025 Beijing Universal Health Insurance as an example, the coverage includes out-of-pocket expenses within the medical insurance, self-paid hospitalization outside the medical insurance, and costs for 106 specific high-cost medications from both domestic and international sources. Insured individuals who have participated for three consecutive years without any claims will enjoy two continuous participation benefits in 2025: first, a reduction in the deductible, with the deductible for self-paid hospitalization expenses outside the medical insurance catalog reduced from 15,000 yuan to 5,000 yuan for healthy individuals, and from 20,000 yuan to 15,000 yuan for individuals with specific pre-existing conditions; second, while enjoying five routine health management services, they can also choose one free service from six health services, including oral health, traditional Chinese medicine adjustment, health check-ups, family first aid kits, daily small medicine boxes, and online health courses.

During interviews, reporters learned that over the past three years, Beijing Universal Health Insurance has benefited hundreds of thousands of participating families, with more than 240,000 claims processed. As of September 2024, the highest claim amount exceeded 690,000 yuan, with the oldest beneficiary being 107 years old and the youngest beneficiary only 4 months old With the joint efforts of multiple parties, Beijing Puhui Health Insurance has also launched a quick compensation service. For insured individuals who meet the compensation criteria, the system actively sends SMS notifications, eliminating the need for insured individuals to submit additional materials, greatly improving compensation efficiency.

Several industry insiders have stated that Beijing Puhui Health Insurance has become an effective component of Beijing's multi-tiered medical security system, significantly alleviating the medical expense burden on patients. Zhou Haitao, Vice President of China Life Property & Casualty Insurance Co., Ltd., stated that to allow citizens to truly experience the warmth and effectiveness of insurance, it is essential not only to achieve strong and substantial protection but also to demonstrate service with attitude and speed. China Life Property & Casualty will work together with members of the co-insurance body to continuously refine exploration and deepen innovation, jointly promoting Beijing Puhui Health Insurance to effectively become an important force in safeguarding citizens' health and enhancing people's well-being