China’s medical insurance to cover all critical illnesses for all residents

China will expand medical insurance to cover all critical illnesses for all urban and rural residents by the end of the year, the cabinet said on Sunday, the latest step in a plan to fix a healthcare system.

中国国务院8月2日表示，2015年底前，大病保险覆盖所有城乡居民基本医保参保人群，这是中国为改善医保体系而采取的最新步骤。

The State Council said 50 percent of the medical costs will be covered by insurance in a bid to "more effectively reduce the burden of medical expenses", in a statement posted on the government's website.

中国政府网站发布的国务院办公厅印发的文件说，2015年大病保险支付比例应达到50%以上，更有效地减轻个人医疗费用负担。

President Xi Jinping's government has touted access to affordable healthcare as a key platform of his administration, underscoring the importance of meeting the needs of the nearly 1.4 billion people, many of whom have often complained of large out-of-pocket expenses due to low levels of insurance coverage.

让民众享有负担得起的医疗服务是中国政府的一个重要目标。这凸显了满足10多亿人民需求的重要性。中国许多人常常抱怨由于医保覆盖水平低，实际医疗费用的支出太高。

Many people say the cost of serious illnesses such as cancer and diabetes can bankrupt households under the current system.

许多人说，在现行医保体系下，医治癌症、糖尿病等重大疾病及慢性病的费用往往能使一个家庭破产。

The aim of expanding health insurance was to "effectively alleviate poverty caused by illness" and to build a strong universal healthcare system, the State Council said.

该文件说，扩大大病保险覆盖范围是为了使“大病患者看病就医负担有效减轻”，建立强有力的大病保险制度体系。

Since 2009, China has spent 3 trillion yuan ($480 billion) on healthcare reform, but the system still struggles with a scarcity of doctors, attacks by patients on medical staff and a fragmented drug distribution and retail market.

自2009年以来来，中国在医保改革方面已经投入3万亿元，但该国依然存在医生短缺、病人与医护人员关系紧张等状况，而且中国的药品市场也存在问题。

Economists say it is crucial for China to improve the quality of its healthcare if it wishes to remake its economy and boost domestic consumption. They say a stronger safety net will encourage Chinese to spend more and save less.

经济学家说，如果中国希望促进经济、国内消费，关键是要提高医保的品质。他们说更有力的保障体系将鼓励中国人多消费、少储蓄。

China's healthcare spending is set to hit $1 trillion by 2020, according to McKinsey & Co, attracting a rapid inflow of money from private insurers, hospital operators and other investors.

麦肯锡咨询公司说，到2020年，中国的医疗卫生支出将超过1万亿美元，这将吸引私营保险公司、医院经营者和其他投资者的资金迅速流入医疗领域。