China implements national standards for medical insurance services

China is advancing the standardization of its medical insurance system through new regulatory frameworks and legal milestones. The National Healthcare Security Administration has released a work plan to establish the first batch of a national medical service project catalog. This initiative aims to unify medical service items across provinces, addressing current discrepancies where identical procedures may be covered in one region but not another. The standardization is intended to facilitate smoother cross-province medical settlements and improve fund supervision.

The first phase of the catalog will focus on 13 categories, including cardiovascular, respiratory, ophthalmology, gynecology, and anesthesiology. The selection criteria for inclusion are based on clinical necessity, safety, effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness, while excluding non-therapeutic items like cosmetic procedures.

This movement toward a unified national standard complements the recent passage of the Medical Insurance Law, which seeks to build a multi-level universal medical insurance system. This system integrates government-led basic medical insurance with supplementary layers such as commercial health insurance and charitable medical assistance. As of late 2025, China's basic medical insurance coverage has reached over 1.33 billion people, making it one of the largest healthcare security systems in the world.