On October 15, 2024, the “Beijing Universal Health Insurance” for the year 2025 will officially open for enrollment. The annual premium remains at 195 yuan, providing policyholders with three levels of coverage: outpatient expenses from the medical insurance catalog, inpatient costs not covered in the catalog, and access to 106 special medications both domestically and internationally. Additionally, the product will see enhancements in its coverage responsibilities, expanding health management services to improve the overall medical safety net for participants.

The “Beijing Universal Health Insurance” is guided by the Beijing Municipal Medical Insurance Bureau and the Financial Committee Office of the Beijing Municipal Committee, supervised by the Beijing Bureau of the National Financial Supervision Administration. It is co-underwritten by China People’s Insurance, China Life, and additionally supported by Tai Kang, Pacific Insurance, Ping An, and Beijing Life. This initiative is the city’s only government-guided, custom city-level commercial supplemental health insurance. With its low cost and broad coverage, it effectively complements basic medical insurance, forming an important part of a multi-tiered medical security system and significantly alleviating the financial burden of high medical expenses for policyholders.

Enrollment for the 2025 plan is open to a diverse group of individuals regardless of age, residency, occupation, or health status. All residents under the basic medical insurance scheme in Beijing, including those with local residence permits or special groups managed by the Beijing Municipal Medical Insurance Bureau, such as laid-off workers and retirees, are eligible. Importantly, those who remain continuously insured will have their health status evaluated based on their first enrollment, meaning those who sign up as healthy individuals can still benefit from higher compensation during subsequent renewals, even if they develop specific pre-existing conditions.

To enhance the experience for long-term enrollees, the 2025 plan introduces two special benefits for participants who have maintained coverage for three consecutive years without any claims: First, the threshold for out-of-pocket inpatient expenses will be reduced from 15,000 yuan to 5,000 yuan for healthy individuals and from 20,000 yuan to 15,000 yuan for those with specific prior conditions. Secondly, a new, exclusive free health management service allows participants to enjoy five basic health management sessions plus one choice from a selection of specialized services encompassing dental health, traditional Chinese medicine adjustments, health checks, family first aid kits, small medicine boxes, and online health courses.

The special drugs coverage is comprehensive, without an out-of-pocket threshold and with its coverage scope dynamically adjusted. The 2025 insurance plan includes 106 medications, with 41 innovative domestic drugs and 65 overseas options that cover a full cycle of treatments for nearly 40 types of cancers, including lung, gastric, breast cancers, and lymphomas. This effectively meets the medication needs of policyholders while reducing their healthcare costs.

Policyholders can also utilize their personal medical insurance accounts to pay premiums. Those covered under the Beijing Employee Health Insurance program can use their individual accounts to insure themselves, and after registering for shared account services, they can also use remaining balances to cover their spouses, parents, or children, thereby maximizing the efficiency of their medical insurance funds for family support.

The “Beijing Universal Health Insurance” has streamlined its claims process to offer more convenient service. For eligible policyholders, the program will proactively remind them of potential claims via SMS or phone, allowing them to receive benefits without needing to provide medical receipts (with exceptions for special cases). Under government guidance, the program is committed to ensuring “full compensation for eligible claims.” Over the past three years, it has benefited hundreds of thousands of families, with the highest payout exceeding 690,000 yuan and beneficiaries ranging from just four months to 107 years old, providing robust multi-tiered medical assurance for many.

Starting from October 15, 2024, individuals can enroll through the official “Beijing Universal Health Insurance” WeChat account or via platforms like Alipay and the “Jing Tong” mini-program. Consultations can also be held with professionals from the six underwriting companies: China People’s Insurance, China Life, Tai Kang, Pacific Insurance, Ping An, and Beijing Life. The enrollment deadline is December 31, 2024, with coverage effective from January 1 to December 31, 2025.