Coverage of social insurance widened in China: report

The coverage of social insurance has been widened in China with its intensified efforts to strengthen social development and safeguard people's fundamental interests, says a report Tuesday.

The country has realized full coverage of basic old-age insurance and basic medical care for both urban and rural residents, says the report titled "Progress in China's Human Rights in 2012" issued by the Information Office of the State Council.

Old-age insurance of various types now covers 790 million people, with 130.75 million senior urban and rural residents receiving pensions on a monthly basis, according to the report.

On the average, basic old-age pension for each enterprise retiree has been raised from 700 yuan (113.88 U.S. dollars) in 2004 to 1,721 yuan per month now, the report says.

Medical insurance of various types covers over 1.3 billion persons, among whom over 800 million have access to the new rural cooperative medical insurance, according to the report.

Now 189.93 million people have access to national work-related injury insurance, an increase of 12.97 million people as compared with 2011, among whom 71.73 million people are migrant workers, it says.

In addition, 152.25 million people are covered by unemployment insurance, an increase of 9.08 million people over 2011, and 154.45 million people are covered by maternity insurance, an increase of 15.53 million people over 2011, the report says.

The government subsidies for the new rural cooperative medical system and basic medical insurance for urban residents have been raised from 20 yuan and 40 yuan a year per person at the beginning to 240 yuan in 2012, according to the report.

In 2012 while introducing pilot medical care programs for eight serious diseases such as uremia and childhood leukemia, the state also listed 12 other serious diseases such as lung cancer, esophagus cancer and gastric cancer into the pilot medical care programs, with the maximum reimbursement rate reaching 90 percent, the report says.