Among the eight practical things released by the National Health Commission to serve the people in the whole system in 2025, including the cancellation of outpatient advance payment, medical institutions will reduce the amount of hospitalization advance payment for medical insurance patients to the average level of out-of-pocket payment for individuals with the same disease. On January 20, the National Health and Wellness Commission held a press conference to answer questions on related issues.

Why did you need to pay inpatient and outpatient advance payments before?

In the 1980s, in order to reduce the number of patients waiting in line and shorten the waiting time for payment, medical institutions successively set up inpatient advance payment and outpatient advance payment. The relevant person in charge of the National Health and Health Commission said that in recent years, we have continued to improve this system and guided all localities to gradually reduce the amount of advance payment to further reduce the pressure of patients to seek medical treatment; Actively use various mobile payment and settlement channels to improve the convenience of patients' medical treatment. During the period of poverty alleviation, the policy of "first diagnosis and treatment, then payment" was implemented for the poor people who set up files and set up cards. Rural poor patients don't have to pay in advance during hospitalization in the local area, and only need to settle the out-of-pocket part when they are discharged from the hospital. This policy has been highly recognized by the people.

Cancel and standardize the advance payment of public hospitals to be implemented in March

In order to allow the people to share the fruits of reform and development and get more convenient benefits, the National Health and Wellness Commission has decided that starting from March 2025, public medical institutions across the country will cancel outpatient advance payments and reduce hospitalization advance payments to the average level of personal out-of-pocket payments of medical insurance patients with the same disease, so as to effectively reduce the pressure of patients' advance funds and improve people's experience of seeing a doctor.