Health insurance is expected to share policy dividends
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Our reporter Yu Yong and Li Chenyang
Recently, the "Fourteenth Five-Year Plan for National Medical Insurance" issued by the General Office of the State Council proposes to encourage commercial insurance institutions to provide comprehensive health insurance products and services in multiple fields such as medical treatment, disease, rehabilitation, care, and maternity, and gradually introduce new medical services. Technologies, new drugs, and new device applications are included in the scope of commercial health insurance coverage; clear and complete support policies, clarify the boundaries of basic medical insurance liability, support commercial insurance institutions to develop commercial health insurance products that are connected to basic medical insurance, and better cover basic medical insurance. Expenses to be paid; according to regulations, explore and promote information sharing between medical security information platforms and commercial health insurance information platforms.
Wang Xiangnan, deputy director of the Insurance and Economic Development Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said in an interview with the Economic Daily that after the establishment of a moderately prosperous society, residents’ demand for physical health and medical services has further increased. The payment part remains at a high level, so residents have an even more urgent need to improve the level of medical insurance. Commercial insurance can introduce higher levels of protection based on medical insurance.
At the same time, with the deepening of the population aging, the number of people with various diseases has increased, and they have demand for insurance funds, goods and services for pension and medical care, which has created space for the insurance industry to develop comprehensive health insurance products.
In fact, the original premium income of health insurance is rising year by year, and commercial health insurance has become an important part of my country's construction of a multi-level social medical security system, which greatly compensates for the lack of basic medical insurance.
According to data from the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission, from January to August 2021, the insurance industry has realized a cumulative original premium income of 3.3 trillion yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 0.7%.
In the life insurance business, the life insurance business achieved a cumulative original premium income of 1.8 trillion yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 1.6%; the health insurance and personal accident insurance businesses achieved a cumulative original premium income of 630.3 billion yuan and 81.3 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 6.9%. And 4.8%.
Compared with other life insurance products, the growth rate of health insurance premiums is relatively eye-catching.
"On the one hand, with the accelerated development of the aging population in my country and the rapid growth of health demand, commercial health insurance has attracted more and more attention; on the other hand, since the outbreak of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, more and more consumers have begun to pay attention to the risks brought by insurance products. Protection, especially the demand for health insurance, has increased significantly.” A senior insurance practitioner told reporters that since last year, there has been a significant increase in the number of customers who consult and purchase medical insurance and critical illness insurance, and many customers are insuring the whole family.
At the "Commercial Health Insurance Development under the Three Medical Reforms" forum held a few days ago, many industry insiders also gave many suggestions on the development of commercial health insurance.
Tian Meipan, general manager of China Life Reinsurance Co., Ltd., believes that commercial health insurance cannot only meet the requirements of healthy people and young people.
Those people who really need insurance, whether they are sick or elderly, should have the opportunity to enjoy commercial insurance services in the future.
Statistics show that 83.7% of the current medical insurance products operated by life insurance companies are short-term medical insurances within one year. There is a lack of options for products that are more than one year or guaranteed renewal, the homogeneity of products is serious, and price competition is fierce.
Moreover, due to the difficulty of obtaining medical data, the number of products of disability income loss insurance, nursing care insurance, and medical accident insurance is extremely limited.
Zhang Chu, head of the product actuarial department of China Re Life Insurance, said that the current health insurance premium structure is still dominated by critical illness insurance and medical insurance, and the existing product health management services are mainly sales-oriented, and commercial health insurance lacks refined management and professionalism. Chemical operation.
Wang Xiangnan believes that commercial health insurance must not only improve the level of protection, cover the insufficient reimbursement of outpatient expenses and hospitalization expenses in medical insurance, as well as the costs of drugs and equipment outside of medical insurance, but also deeply embed the service chain of medical treatment, medicine, and health management. To alleviate the mismatch of social resources caused by information asymmetry in the medical and health services, and provide residents with more efficient medical and health security services.
Encouraged by policies, it is both an opportunity and a challenge for insurance institutions.
"Strengthen the innovation ability of health insurance products, develop the medical and health ecosystem, open up the whole chain of services, and provide customers with better health insurance services, so as to seize a place in the future development pattern of health insurance." Industry insiders analyzed.
Our reporter Yu Yong and Li Chenyang