Alipay Launches Mobile Medical Insurance Payment Service in Shenzhen, Piloted Across Six Hospitals

Medical Insurance Payments Now Available on Mobile! On May 31, China’s first mobile medical insurance payment platform, jointly developed by Alipay and the Shenzhen Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, launched its pilot program in six hospitals in Shenzhen. By linking their financial social security cards to Alipay, patients can calculate and pay both the medical insurance-covered and out-of-pocket portions of their healthcare costs with a single click during their visit. This initiative is expected to reduce healthcare visit times by more than half for Shenzhen’s 12 million insured residents, significantly alleviating the widespread issue of “three long waits and one short consultation”: long registration queues, prolonged waiting times for consultations, extended payment processing, and brief doctor-patient interactions.

Six Hospitals Now Support Social Security Card Payments via Alipay

Currently, Shenzhen residents seeking medical care at six hospitals, including Shenzhen Third People’s Hospital and Nanshan District People’s Hospital, can enjoy the convenience of scheduling appointments from home and settling medical insurance payments with a single click on Alipay. It is reported that ten additional hospitals, such as Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen Second People’s Hospital, and Shenzhen Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, are in the process of gradually integrating these services.

Following the implementation of online medical insurance services, patients need to complete at most four steps in person: consultation, examination, diagnosis, and medication pickup.

Use your social security card directly on Alipay after linking it.

The process for using Alipay to pay with social insurance is as follows: First, open “City Services” in Alipay and select “Smart Hospital.” Follow the prompts to choose an outpatient department and a physician, then register for an appointment. At checkout, select “Medical Insurance Payment.” The system will automatically redirect you to the page for linking your financial social security card. Follow the instructions to complete the linking in just three steps, and simultaneously pay the registration fee in one click, covering both the medical insurance portion and the out-of-pocket expense.

Subsequently, upon arriving at the hospital, patients proceed directly to queue outside the physician’s consulting room. Once the physician issues the prescription, a payment notification is instantly received on their mobile phone. Patients can then complete the payment via Alipay while standing in the hospital corridor.

There is another entry point for linking the financial social security card. Click to enter “City Services” in Alipay, then select “Electronic Social Security Card,” and follow the prompts to complete the linking process. In addition to online medical insurance payments, services for querying, paying, and handling human resources and social security-related matters will be rolled out sequentially. Please note that only the new version of the financial social security card supports linking. If you do not have one, as long as you meet the eligibility criteria for issuance, you may apply at a branch of your chosen partner bank or have your employer apply on your behalf.

According to Alipay, if a user’s Alipay account is compromised, or if errors in the real-name verification information result in financial losses to the user or the medical insurance fund, Alipay will provide full compensation.

Since the launch of the first Alipay “Future Hospital” at Guangzhou Women and Children’s Medical Center, nearly 500 hospitals across China have joined the Alipay “Future Hospital” initiative over the past two years, covering 90% of the country’s provinces. More than 50 million users have leveraged Alipay to access end-to-end mobile services, including appointment registration, fee payment, report retrieval, and other payment-related functions. Furthermore, Alipay has integrated with all major domestic appointment-registration platforms, enabling online appointment scheduling at 2,000 hospitals nationwide.

List of Shenzhen Hospitals Supporting Alipay:

The Six Shenzhen Hospitals Currently in Trial Operation

1. Shenzhen Third People's Hospital

2. Nanshan District People's Hospital

3. Shekou People's Hospital, Nanshan District

4. Nanshan District Xili People's Hospital

5. Nanshan District Maternal and Child Health Hospital

6. Nanshan District Chronic Disease Hospital

Ten Hospitals Currently Being Onboarded:

1. Peking University Shenzhen Hospital

2. The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital

3. Shenzhen Second People's Hospital

4. Shenzhen Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine

5. Shenzhen Hospital of Southern Medical University

6. Shenzhen Eye Hospital

7. Shenzhen Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital

8. Shenzhen Children's Hospital

9. Luohu District People's Hospital

10. Longhua New District Central Hospital