More Chinese cities add artificial hearts to medical insurance coverage

TIANJIN -- After years of battling heart failure, 69-year-old Sun Jucai is recovering with the help of an artificial heart, a life-saving device now made more accessible under a new policy that brings it into medical insurance coverage in North China's Tianjin municipality.

Sun became the first patient to benefit from the policy after the city expanded reimbursement for artificial hearts on Nov 20. He was discharged last week after his condition stabilized.

"Before the surgery, I could hardly speak without feeling short of breath," Sun said. "Now I can talk normally again. It feels like I've been given a second chance at life."

In March, the National Healthcare Security Administration (NHSA) released a pricing guideline for cardiovascular medical services, adding artificial heart implantation to the official list of covered procedures. The move is expected to reduce the overall cost of an artificial heart implant from more than 1 million yuan (about $142,150) to around 700,000 yuan.

China has an estimated 16 million people living with chronic heart failure, according to incomplete data from the NHSA, with the number continuing to grow. For patients in the advanced stages of the disease, conventional treatments often provide limited relief, leaving heart transplantation as the only effective option.

But a long-standing shortage of donor hearts has made transplants unavailable for many. As a result, artificial hearts, also known as ventricular assist devices, have emerged as an alternative, though their high cost has long put them out of reach for most patients.

Sun, who was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy, underwent surgery in November at TEDA International Cardiovascular Hospital in Tianjin. Doctors implanted an artificial heart jointly developed by the hospital and ROCOR Medical Technology Co., Ltd. His symptoms eased significantly after the operation, and his recovery has continued steadily.

"The medical insurance covered most of the consumables and surgical expenses, greatly easing my financial burden," Sun said.

Tianjin has become one of the latest Chinese cities to add artificial hearts to its medical insurance system, with patients from other parts of the country also eligible for reimbursement when seeking treatment in the city, removing regional barriers.

Similar coverage has already been introduced in several provincial-level regions, including Beijing and Guangdong.

"As more places approve reimbursement for this life-saving but costly technology, it will help speed up the development and wider use of artificial hearts in China," said Liu Xiaocheng, president of TEDA International Cardiovascular Hospital.

China has established the world's largest medical and healthcare service system and has been committed to expanding the scope of basic medical insurance by introducing new categories and enhancing medical services to improve access to healthcare.

Enrollment rate in basic medical insurance has remained around 95 percent, with approximately 20 billion reimbursements made from 2021 to 2024, according to the NHSA.