A doctor opens a liquid nitrogen storage container for sperm or eggs at the assisted reproductive medicine center of Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital in the southwestern city of Chengdu. Photo: VCG

As East China's Anhui Province and North China's Hebei Province will reimburse medical bills for assisted reproductive technology (ART) services starting August 1, a total of 14 provincial-level regions across the country will have included ART procedures in their medical insurance reimbursement systems as of next month. 

Assisted reproductive medical services will be included into the medical insurance reimbursement system in Anhui starting August 1, which is expected to reduce the medical expenses of insured patients in the province by approximately 200 million yuan ($27.53 million) each year, China's National Healthcare Security Administration announced on its official WeChat account on Tuesday. 

On the previous day, the Hebei Provincial Department of Human Resources and Social Security also released a notice detailing that part of the therapeutic assisted reproductive medical services items will be included in the province's basic medical insurance coverage starting August 1. 

Since March, China has accelerated its efforts in including ART services into medical insurance schemes after the National Healthcare Security Administration proposed that eligible regions gradually include therapeutic assisted reproductive services in their medical insurance reimbursement. 

So far, a total of 12 provincial-level regions including municipalities of Beijing and Shanghai, provinces of Gansu, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Jiangsu, Shandong, Jilin and Qinghai, as well as Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region have already included ART services into their medical insurance system. 

According to the administration, the infertility rate among the Chinese population of childbearing age is currently estimated at 12 percent to 15 percent. Including assisted reproductive medical services into medical insurance reimbursement systems is a demonstration of the mutual aid support from the system to these people who desire children but have to rely on techniques. 

According to Jin Niu, a lecturer from the School of Public Finance and Administration, Tianjin University of Finance & Economics, including ART services into medical insurance can help reduce the cost of childbirth to some extent, allowing individuals planning to have children to have a better childbirth experience. It is one of the important factors for building a fertility-friendly society, yicai.com reported on Tuesday. 

Statistics from the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Human Assisted Reproductive Technology Management Center show that outpatient visits at assisted reproductive institutions across the autonomous region reached 993,700 over the past six months since the ART services were included in the region's medical insurance reimbursement system over half a year ago, an increase of 14.74 percent year-on-year. 

While in Jiangxi, it is estimated that the burden of 290 million yuan in medical expenses will be reduced from the insured population, after the province included nine ART items into medical insurance payment in June.

In Anhui, eight items in the assisted reproductive medical services including oocyte retrieval will be covered in the province's basic medical insurance payment system, with four items to be fully reimbursed and the other four items to be reimbursed by 90 percent of the medical bills. 

In Hebei, 90 percent of the medical bills will be paid by the reimbursement system. 

Apart from the 14 regions to include ART procedures in their medical insurance coverage, other provinces such as South China's Guangdong Province is also stepping up its efforts in working out the related policy to alleviate the economic burden on childbearing couples who rely on ART services to have children. 

Global Times