The merger of basic employee healthcare insurance and maternity insurance does not mean maternity insurance will be abolished, and it won’t impact maternity insurance benefits, according to a deputy head of the National Healthcare Security Administration.

Both the items and pay of maternity insurance will remain unchanged, which includes maternity care fees and maternity leave allowance, Chen Jinfu said at a news conference on March 25.

The policy that individuals are not required to pay a premium for maternity insurance will continue as well, he said. The premium will be paid by their employer.

The news conference took place on the same day when the State Council issued a document detailing the merger of the two social insurance programs. The policy had been made lawful at the end of 2018 by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, China’s top legislature, which amended the Social Insurance Law.

According to the document, the maternity insurance fund will be merged into the employee basic healthcare insurance fund. The two funds will be raised together.

After the merger, when an employee enrolls in basic healthcare insurance, that means he or she also enjoys maternity insurance.

According to Chen, paperwork will become simplified both for employers and employees due to the merger.

Since 2017, the policy had first undergone trials in 12 cities, which, Chen said, yielded remarkable results. First, more people were covered by maternity insurance, with the number of people having maternity insurance increasing 13 percent compared to before the merger. Second, the two funds can now be better coordinated, Chen said.

According to the document, the merger should be completed before the end of 2019.

“As the social economy develops, maternity benefits will only get better,” he said.