City pushes health coverage

Shanghai is set to improve the purchasing of commercial health insurance with personal medical insurance accounts, in a bid to offer better protection and services to residents.

The local insurance industry plans more suitable health insurance for the general public, and expand the coverage of the policy.

Since the January of 2017, the city has encouraged people covered by the basic medical insurance scheme to buy private health protection plans with funds in their own medical insurance accounts and much progress has been made since, according to the Shanghai Insurance Association.

Shanghai residents can buy two types of health insurance plans using their medical insurance accounts, hospitalization plans and critical illness plans.

The two products are an important supplement to basic medical cover and will reduce out-of-pocket medical expenses, the association said.

Large insurance companies like China Life Insurance, PingAn, New China Life Insurance participate in the scheme.