In a bid to enhance fertility rates and support sustainable population growth, China is ramping up efforts to extend medical insurance coverage for assisted reproductive technology (ART) services. More than 20 provincial-level regions have officially integrated these services into their medical insurance plans as part of a comprehensive strategy to encourage childbirth.
Regions like Guangdong Province in the south and Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in the northwest have announced the rollout of these policies, which began in October. For instance, Chongqing has included 13 therapeutic assisted reproductive services, such as sperm selection treatment and egg retrieval surgery, in its medical insurance coverage, set to take effect on January 1, 2025.
Data from a hospital in Guangdong shows a significant drop in costs for various ART services following their inclusion in medical insurance. The price of artificial insemination has decreased by approximately 50%, while procedures like embryo transfer have seen an average cost reduction of over 15%, according to the Guangdong healthcare security authority.
Experts highlight that many couples are grappling with infertility issues due to a combination of fast-paced lifestyles and the rising age of marriage and childbearing. Jiang Quanbao, a professor at the Institute for Population and Development Studies at Xi’an Jiaotong University, emphasized that these measures aim to “promote long-term balanced population development” and alleviate the economic pressures faced by families trying to conceive.
On Monday, the Chinese government unveiled a series of new policies to support childbirth, including the addition of assisted reproductive technology services to the list of reimbursable medical insurance services. Following the initial implementation in regions such as Beijing and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in July 2023, other areas quickly began adopting similar measures, as noted by the National Healthcare Security Administration.
However, several provincial-level regions, including Heilongjiang in the northeast, Guizhou in the southwest, and Tianjin in the north, have yet to officially include ART in their medical insurance coverage. Some of these regions, like Heilongjiang and Tianjin, have issued relevant drafts for public consultation and are in the process of gathering public feedback, according to local healthcare security authorities.
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