Beijing, Feb. 21 (BNA): Beijing will include more than a dozen fertility services in a government-backed medical insurance plan in the Chinese capital, state media reported today, Monday, to support those seeking to have children with a birth rate in China at a record level. a little.
A total of 16 medical services using assisted reproductive technologies (ART) will be covered by the city’s state insurance as of March 26, in a move to “take proactive measures to support fertility,” according to the Beijing Daily.
New reproductive coverage could help reduce out-of-pocket costs and benefit couples from low-income groups seeking to have children and those with little or no access to private medical insurance.
Official data showed that the birth rate in China fell to a record low in 2021, extending the downward trend that prompted the national government last year to start allowing couples to have up to three children, Reuters reported.
At the beginning of the annual parliamentary meeting in March last year, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said that China will work to achieve a “appropriate” birth rate.
China faces what experts call a “demographic time bomb” as its aging population grows while its workforce shrinks due to declining births, due in part to the one-child policy in place for nearly four decades before its abolition in 2016.
Li said last year that China would raise the legal retirement age “in phases.”
The eastern province of Jiangsu said last month that from March, employees eligible for state pensions will be able to apply for delayed retirement for at least one year from the legal retirement age.
HF