Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress | Laying a Solid Institutional Foundation for “Access to Medical Care When Sick”: Draft Law on Medical Security Submitted for Deliberation for the First Time

Release Date:

2025-06-24

BEIJING, June 24 (Xinhua) — By reporters Peng Yunjia and Xu Penghang: Medical security is a major institutional arrangement that alleviates the financial burden of medical care for the public, enhances people’s well-being, and safeguards social harmony and stability. On the 24th, a draft Law on Medical Security was submitted to the 16th Meeting of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People’s Congress for its first review, with a focus on defining the framework of the medical security system and its basic institutions.

The draft, submitted for deliberation for the first time, comprises 7 chapters and 50 articles, systematically outlining the framework of the medical security system, strengthening the management and operation of medical security funds, optimizing medical security services, and reinforcing oversight and regulation. It aims to support the lawful improvement of the universal basic medical insurance system, effectively safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of insured persons, and lay a solid institutional foundation for ensuring that all people have access to medical care when they fall ill.

Zhang Ke, Director of the National Healthcare Security Administration, stated that the draft includes a dedicated chapter that systematically outlines the framework of the medical security system. For the relatively mature and well-established employee basic medical insurance, urban and rural resident basic medical insurance, and maternity insurance, the draft clearly defines the scope of coverage, funding mechanisms, and benefit provisions.

To ensure the safe and stable operation of the medical security fund, the draft stipulates that the fund shall adhere to the state’s unified financial and accounting systems, be used exclusively for its designated purposes, and be managed within the dedicated fiscal account of the social security fund. It also clarifies the principled requirements for defining the scope of payments under the basic medical insurance fund, ensuring such coverage is aligned with the fund’s capacity while meeting the reasonable medical needs of insured persons, and standardizes the use of the medical security fund by designated medical institutions and insured individuals.

With regard to optimizing medical security services, the draft stipulates that the State shall establish and improve a public service system for medical security, standardize and unify the list of public service items, and ensure full coverage of such services across both urban and rural areas. It also calls for the establishment of a direct settlement mechanism for medical expenses that seamlessly integrates basic medical insurance, supplementary medical insurance, and medical assistance, and for the refinement of the system for direct settlement of medical expenses incurred when seeking treatment in another locality.

The draft strengthens oversight of the revenue and expenditure management of medical security funds by establishing a supervisory framework that integrates oversight by the people’s congresses, regulatory oversight by relevant departments, and social oversight, while also ensuring smooth channels for reporting and lodging complaints. It implements dynamic, intelligent monitoring of fund utilization to enhance the effectiveness of supervision and employs a comprehensive array of measures—ranging from fines and suspension of medical services involving fund use to suspension of online settlement of medical expenses and termination of service agreements—to impose stricter penalties for violations.

[Editor-in-charge: Liu Ziya]

Source: Xinhua Net

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