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▲ While related to human health and safety, its “non-therapeutic” nature also makes health insurance for the new corona vaccine seem less urgent under current circumstances. Data map Image source: Beijing News
According to reports, in response to the “recommendation to include the new vaccination against crown pneumonia in the total health insurance reimbursement” presented by the representative of the National People’s Congress, the National Health Insurance Office responded on October 9 that the current level of financing for China’s basic health insurance, especially for urban and rural residents Low, in 2019, the per capita financing for health insurance for urban and rural residents is only about 800 yuan. However, the number of people for vaccination this time is large and the total cost is high, which obviously exceeds the capacity of the health insurance fund. The next step is to work with the relevant departments to study the cost of the new corona vaccine.
As China’s new crown vaccine enters the countdown, its price issue has also attracted a lot of attention. It should be said that the new corona vaccine as a preventive vaccine, the lower the threshold, the better and the more widespread the better, to better play the public preventive role of the vaccine, consolidate anti-epidemic results and maintain public health safety. In this regard, the deputies of the National People’s Congress proposed that the new crown vaccine be included in the medical insurance, with good intentions. However, considering the current epidemic situation and the current state of health insurance income and expenses, such a proposal may be a bit advanced and not yet feasible.
As highlighted by the National Health Insurance Administration, the current level of health insurance funding in China remains low. At the same time, as the number of people covered by social security increases, the expenses of the health insurance fund show a continuous accelerating trend. Therefore, health insurance funds have been in a limited state in some places. In this context, the most important problem facing health insurance funds is “cost control.” Valuable health insurance funds must first be used to provide protection for the treatment of basic illnesses for individuals, leaving enough room for the payment of more life-saving drugs and effective medical behaviors.
The new corona vaccine is certainly related to the health and safety of people, but due to its “non-curative” nature and the internal epidemic situation has basically been controlled, the new corona vaccine is not so urgent to enter health insurance. Not to mention, public enthusiasm for the new corona vaccine is very high, and the market demand is huge. It is entirely conceivable that the cost of vaccination is a staggering figure. If this cost is paid by health insurance, health insurance funds can slip into an income and expense imbalance, causing a series of chain reactions, which is truly a burden that all of society cannot bear.
Of course, the fact that the new corona vaccine is temporarily excluded from health insurance does not mean that people’s basic needs are not guaranteed. It should be noted that the price of the new corona vaccine is strictly controlled by the government. Earlier, the chairman of Sinopharm Group revealed that the cost of two injections of the new crown vaccine was less than 1,000 yuan, once causing public concern over its high price. However, the relevant person in charge of the National Health Commission said that the price will definitely be lower. Later, it was learned that the maximum price of the new crown vaccine would not exceed 600 yuan for two injections. The cost of the new corona vaccine can be expected to continue to decline as the scale of production continues to expand and there is room for further price reductions in the future. And this is in line with the public welfare and inclusive positioning of the new crown vaccine repeatedly emphasized by the relevant departments.
On the other hand, although the new non-therapeutic corona vaccine will not be included in the medical insurance for the moment, in the adaptation of the catalog of the national medical insurance that will be completed at the end of this year, the therapeutic drugs related to the new coronary pneumonia. In other words, in the face of the threat of the new corona virus, health insurance is not on the sidelines, but also plays an important role in protecting people’s lives and health.
For those poor people with low income, all localities have corresponding health care policies. For example, as early as January 1 of this year, Jingzhou, Hubei officially implemented the “Healthcare Implementation Measures for Distressed Urban and Rural People in Jingzhou City”, providing basic health care to the poor through subsidies insurance, outpatient medical assistance and hospitalization medical assistance. Guaranteed. These specific health care policies will definitely highlight your support functions at special times.
It is certainly too early to talk about the inclusion of the new corona vaccine in health insurance, and it is not the key to the problem. Of course, it cannot be denied that, in the long term, the expansion of the national immunization plan is the general trend. As a public health product, preventive vaccines like the new corona are included in the health insurance reimbursement. And this must be a gradual and orderly process of living within our means, and we must have a clear and rational understanding of this.
Editor: He Rui Correction: Yang Xuli
