HANGZHOU, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- A female from Russia became the 10,000th foreigner to enroll in China's basic medical insurance in Yiwu, east China's Zhejiang Province, on Wednesday, local government confirmed.
Yiwu, renowned as the "world's small commodity capital," maintains trade ties with 233 countries and regions, attracting nearly 600,000 foreign merchants each year.
With around 30,000 foreign businessmen active each day and over 1,500 family members living locally, the demand for accessible healthcare coverage has surged.
Previously, insurance options were limited to foreigners employed by local enterprises, leaving flexibly employed individuals and their families uncovered. To bridge this gap, the Yiwu Medical Insurance Bureau, with national-level support, pioneered a program allowing foreigners holding at least two-year residence permits to enroll as flexible employees. This initiative ensures they receive the same benefits as Chinese residents.
Eligible foreigners contribute premiums at the same rates as local residents and receive identical coverage, including reimbursement scopes and ratios. The program has also been extended to foreign children enrolled in Yiwu's schools.
Since 2019, foreign beneficiaries have utilized medical insurance for 95,400 instances, with cumulative expenditure of medical insurance fund exceeding 24 million yuan (around 3.4 million U.S. dollars). ■
