Aiming to resolve the problems in construction industry, such as high work-related injury risks, flexible employment and high mobility of construction workers, China has implemented the “Tongzhou Program”, i.e. the specific social insurance expansion program for the construction industry workers. The program requires the construction industry to join the social insurance coverage in terms of each building project, exploring a new coverage pattern of dynamic real-name registration management.

In order to reduce the personal burden of medical expenses and improve the Chinese patients’ sense of acquisition, happiness and security, in 2017, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security organized the negotiation of National Medical Insurance Drug List.

In December 2016, Zhejiang Provincial Government made the decision to push forward the reform of “Running Errand, at Most Once”, actively forging a province with “least examination and approval matters, highest efficiency, optimal government environment and strongest sense of gains for the masses and enterprises”. Aiming at reducing the running errands of the insured, based on the “Internet+ E-government Service” and big data, Zhejiang province launched the reform from the aspects and matters closest to the production and livelihood of the enterprises and masses.

Targeting at building a social security system that covers the urban and rural residents in an all-round way, the Chinese government has formulated and implemented a universal social security enrolment programme focusing on the old-age insurance and medical insurance. By the end of 2017, the registration of all the targeted groups across China has been basically completed through the measures of policy optimizing, publicity, strict law enforcement, service improvement and registration at every address.

To fundamentally solve the two problems of “running errands for reimbursement” and “full prepayment by the patients”, in 2016 the Chinese government made the commitment that within two years, the direct settlements of hospitalization expenses will be fully portable across provinces. A nationwide network for basic health insurance and direct settlement network across provinces will be set up to achieve direct settlement of hospitalization expenses across provinces.

China has the largest social insurance system in the world covering nearly 1.4 billion people and includes old-age, medical, work injury, maternity and unemployment insurance schemes. There are more than 8,000 social insurance agencies at and above the county level in China, with nearly 180,000 staff, undertaking 1.99 billion individual service transactions annually. Due to historical reasons, many branch-based operational agencies follow different management and service standards, and do not even have a unified name. This practice is inefficient and errors easily occur.

China is progressively implementing a national social insurance coverage registration programme to speed up full social insurance coverage, and to put in place a more equitable and sustainable social security system.

The registration programme is a dedicated initiative to promote full and sustained coverage of working people and of urban and rural residents.