China's medical insurance fund reports surplus in 2024

Basic medical insurance system covered 6.7 billion outpatient settlements.

China's medical insurance fund reported a balanced budget with a slight surplus in 2024, according to the National Healthcare Security Administration (NHSA).  

The basic medical insurance system covered 6.7 billion outpatient settlements during the year, a 19% year-on-year (YoY) increase from 2023. 

Maternity insurance fund expenditure rose significantly to $19.5b, marking a 33.9% YoY increase.  

The national system recovered 27.5 billion yuan in misused funds, identified 2,008 fraudulent institutions, and investigated 3,018 fraud cases in collaboration with public security authorities. These efforts led to the arrest of 10,741 individuals.  

Gu Rong, an NHSA official, credited part of the fund recovery to the implementation of big data monitoring technologies. 

The administration is also advancing the use of drug traceability codes, enabling authorities to detect fraud involving the misuse of drugs more efficiently and accurately.