White Paper on the Right to Development: China's Health Expenditure Surpasses RMB 4 Trillion in 2015

December 1,State Council Information Office of the People's Republic of ChinaReleased the white paper titled "The Right to Development: China’s Philosophy, Practice, and Contributions." The white paper shows that from 1978 to 2015, China’s total health expenditure increased from RMB 11.021 billion to RMB 4,097.464 billion (in RMB, unless otherwise stated), while per capita health expenditure rose from RMB 11.5 to RMB 2,980.8.

The white paper points out that the level of protection for the Chinese people's right to health has improved significantly. The infant mortality rate dropped from 200‰ at the founding of New China to 8.1‰ in 2015, and the maternal mortality rate decreased from 1,500 per 100,000 to 20.1 per 100,000. The number of medical and health institutions increased from 169,732 to 983,528; the total number of health personnel grew from 7.883 million to 10.6939 million.

China has established a unified basic old-age insurance system for urban and rural residents nationwide. In 2015, the number of people participating in basic old-age insurance across China reached 858 million, with 148 million urban and rural residents actually receiving pension benefits.

China has established a medical security system covering its entire population. By the end of 2015, the number of people enrolled in basic medical insurance—including Basic Medical Insurance for Urban Employees, New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme, and Basic Medical Insurance for Urban Residents—reached 1.336 billion, with an enrollment rate maintained at over 95%. The reimbursement rates for inpatient medical expenses within the scope of policy coverage were over 80% for Basic Medical Insurance for Urban Employees, over 70% for Basic Medical Insurance for Urban Residents, and around 75% for the New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme.

Meanwhile, the number of urban residents receiving minimum living guarantees increased from 849,000 in 1996 to 17.011 million in 2015, while the number of rural residents receiving such guarantees rose from 2.658 million in 1999 to 49.036 million in 2015.

The level of protection for the people's right to health has improved significantly. The infant mortality rate decreased from 200‰ at the founding of New China to 8.1‰ in 2015, and the maternal mortality ratio dropped from 1,500 per 100,000 live births to 20.1 per 100,000 live births. From 1978 to 2015, total national health expenditure grew from RMB 11.021 billion to RMB 4,097.464 billion, of which government health spending increased from RMB 3.544 billion to RMB 124.7528 billion; per capita health expenditure rose from RMB 11.5 to RMB 2,980.8; the number of healthcare institutions increased from 169,732 to 983,528; and the total number of health personnel grew from 7.883 million to 10.6939 million.

In 2015, the number of community medical and health service institutions reached 361,000, with a coverage rate of 52.9%. The number of beds in social service institutions providing residential care increased from 828,000 in 1991 to 7.329 million in 2015. Among these, beds for elderly care services grew from 783,000 to 6.727 million, while beds for children increased from 7,000 to 100,000. From 1988 to 2015, through the implementation of national key rehabilitation projects, cumulative rehabilitation services were provided to 27.978 million people with various types of disabilities.

By the end of 2015, there were 7,111 rehabilitation institutions for persons with disabilities, employing 192,000 professional staff; the number of care institutions at all levels providing services to individuals with intellectual, mental, and severe disabilities reached 6,352, an increase of 2,323 from 2010. In October 2016, China released the Outline of the “Healthy China 2030” Plan, proposing the integration of national fitness into daily life.

A social security system covering the entire population has been basically established. China has established a unified basic old-age insurance system for urban and rural residents nationwide, and formulated policies to facilitate the coordination of participation in basic old-age insurance for urban employees and for urban and rural residents, particularly for migrant workers moving to cities. In 2015, the number of people participating in basic old-age insurance nationwide reached 858 million, while 148 million urban and rural residents were actually receiving old-age benefits.

China has established a medical security system covering its entire population. By the end of 2015, the number of participants in basic medical insurance schemes—including Basic Medical Insurance for Urban Employees, New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme, and Basic Medical Insurance for Urban Residents—reached 1.336 billion, with an enrollment rate maintained at over 95%. The reimbursement rates for inpatient medical expenses within the scope of policy coverage were over 80% for Basic Medical Insurance for Urban Employees, over 70% for Basic Medical Insurance for Urban Residents, and around 75% for the New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme. The maximum payment limits of the insurance funds were raised to six times the local average annual wage of employees and six times the local per capita annual disposable income of residents, respectively.

From 1994 to 2015, the number of participants in unemployment insurance increased from 79.678 million to 176.092 million. In 2015, the revenue of the unemployment insurance fund reached RMB 136.463 billion, with expenditures amounting to RMB 73.645 billion, and the average monthly unemployment benefit per recipient rose to RMB 968.4. A work-related injury insurance system integrating prevention, compensation, and rehabilitation was initially established, with the number of participants growing from 18.22 million to 214.32 million. The number of participants in maternity insurance increased from 9.16 million to 177.71 million.