Premier Li Keqiang pressed for the incorporation of migrant workers and nonlocal entrepreneurs into direct settlement of trans-provincial medical expenses, while presiding over an executive meeting of the State Council on Aug 22.

“The direct settlement of trans-provincial medical expenses is nothing to be sneezed at. It is conducive to people’s well-being as well as economic development,” the Premier said.

At a news conference in 2016, Premier Li made a public statement that senior citizens would enjoy direct settlement for nonlocal medical services in a certain time span.

In the 2017 Government Work Report, the Premier added that a streamlined medical insurance e-platform would be promoted nationwide in a bid to facilitate settlement for nonlocal healthcare services.

By end of September that year, an integrated national e-platform for medical insurance materialized and came into force.

An expansion of the cohort covered by the policy was planned in the 2018 Government Work Report, calling for the incorporation of grassroots hospitals, migrant workers and nonlocal entrepreneurs.

According to related statistics, ever since the advent of national direct settlement of trans-provincial medical expenses, there has been a sharp increase in the number of people served and settlement amounts, bringing substantial convenience to migrant workers.

It was decided at the meeting that grassroots medical institutions will be the major target to fulfill work on direct settlement. Each county will have at least one designated medical institution by the end of this year.

Additionally, further efforts will be taken to ensure the timely inclusion of all designated medical institutions into the national unified settlement e-platform, promoting online direct payments.

The national administration of medical insurance should work on overall planning and coordination, to effectively implement direct settlement of trans-provincial medical expenses, Premier Li said.