[ad_1]
SHANGHAI (Reuters) – China's new medical insurance regulator will begin negotiations with domestic and foreign pharmaceutical companies in a bid to cut the financial burden on patients, Xinhua said on Saturday.
The State Medical Insurance Administration said it was prepared to include the following:
China's cancer rates have been soaring, driven by growing numbers of over-60s, heavy smoking among men and exposure to pollution. The National Cancer Center said last year there were 4.29 million new cases every year and 2.81 million deaths.
Delegates to parliament said in May that the five-year cancer survival rate is just 30 percent in 2015, less than half the US level, and the government has improved by 15 percentage points by 2030.
Improving insurance coverage is one of the biggest challenges facing China as its population gets older. It has been made easier and cheaper.
A national medical insurance system has begun covering 16 brands of cancer drugs last year, Xinhua reported this year.
China also removed tariffs on cancer drugs starting from May 1, following a decision by Premier Li Keqiang in April.
Reporting by David Stanway; Editing by Robert Birsel
Source link
