Year-ender: Major policies aimed at improving health, housing and income

Treatment costs for diabetes and high blood pressure cut

Patients with hypertension and diabetes can be reimbursed for more than half of the cost of medicines they receive from hospital outpatient departments, as long as the medicines are included in the national basic medical insurance catalog.

The new policy is estimated to benefit more than 300 million patients with the diseases who are covered by the basic medical insurance scheme in rural and urban areas, according to a statement from the State Council.

The National Healthcare Security Administration and the Ministry of Finance jointly issued a circular in May stating that government subsidies for basic medical insurance for rural and non-working urban residents will be increased by 30 yuan to reach no less than 520 yuan (about $76.6) per capita annually. The authorities also raised the reimbursement rate of the insurance scheme for serious diseases to 60 percent, up by 10 percentage points from last year.