Foreign workers now eligible for maternity benefits

Beijing municipal government has finally clarified how foreigners who pay Chinese social insurance contributions will be able to claim maternity allowance benefits in the capital.

Beijing Municipal Bureau of Human Resources and Social Security announced Saturday in a statement that foreign employees can claim back medical fees for delivery of a baby, including expenses incurred during pregnancy check-ups, and receive maternity allowance.

The insured can only claim for two births, and the baby's birth certificate, medical fee certificate and receipts must be provided as proof.

Some foreign residents in Beijing are unsure if the benefit will be of any use to them.

"I have social security in my home country, which covers global medical fees including maternity expenses no matter where I am. And I don't know whether I need to pay for this insurance," said a woman called Lynn, a French national, who did not want her full name used.

Lynn, 29, works for a French film company in Beijing and gave birth to her daughter at the private Beijing Mary's Hospital in Chaoyang district.

"I don't think the insurance covers medical fees at private hospitals, but I don't want to see doctors at public hospitals as there are too many people and some doctors can't speak English, so the insurance means nothing to me," she said.

Liang Chao, from HR company China International Intellenctech Corporation, said that in a regulation which took effect on October 15, 2011, China extended social insurance to foreign workers, including retirement, medical, work injury, unemployment and maternity benefits.

But Liang told the Global Times in November, 2011 that maternity insurance coverage is associated with China's family planning policy, so foreigners were ineligible to apply at that time. HR firms were waiting for supplementary regulations to be issued to solve the problem.

"Until now, we've never received a request from any foreign employees to claim maternity benefits, which means not many foreigners use this insurance," he said Sunday.

He pointed out that the fees could not be claimed if the insured chose to see a doctor in a private hospital not covered by the insurance, but they can receive the maternity allowance anyway.

Maternity allowance is 0.8 percent of an employee's basic monthly salary, paid to both males and females. It would be paid to foreigners as long as they stayed in China.