Chinese enjoy greater geographical flexibility in utilizing medical insurance

BEIJING - Chinese people who seek treatment in places where their medical insurance accounts are not registered have enjoyed greater convenience in reimbursing their costs.

A total of 3.18 million interprovincial medical bills have been settled since 2016 when the country allowed patients to use their medical insurance cards for medical treatment in designated hospitals and settle the bills straight away irrespective of the locality, according to the National Healthcare Security Administration (NHSA).

The policy is aimed at providing convenience particularly for the migrant population and elderly people who have relocated to stay with their children.

The number of interprovincial medical bills settled on the spot has increased rapidly. In 2018, the figure was 1.32 million, 6.3 times the 2017 figure, according to the NHSA.

From February to August this year, the figure totaled about 1.48 million.

By the end of August, a total of 21,824 designated hospitals nationwide provided on-the-spot settlement.