China Continues Push for Basic Universal Healthcare – Presidential Statement

It is interesting to hear and see what is being done in other countries from time to time and in China the President wants to ensure that all citizens have at least some basic coverage. In 2008 WellPoint opened offices in Shanghai and UnitedHealthcare recently purchased a company in China to promote Chinese businesses and bring both drugs and medical devices from China to the US and other countries in the US, which may not be read good news for our US companies, but some of them also have factories and production centers in China or joint ventures like Medtronic.

UnitedHealth subsidiary (Ingenix Subsidiary I3) Acquires ChinaGate – Working to Sell Chinese Products Globally

Taiwan has also begun placing hospitals in China at the end of 2008. What is also interesting is the poll taken in 2009 with Chinese trusting our western drugs over those that are produced in China.

China Trusts Western Drugs over Chinese Pharmaceutical Companies

At the end of 2008 China announced the original plan with universal care; however there are still many of our US insurers with interests there, such as Aetna, United and Wellpoint. Cigna is also connected to sell and offer supplemental health insurance in Shanghai, so even with a basic universal plan US companies are working at building their next source of revenue in China. BD

China Looking to revert back to Universal Health Care

BEIJING, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao has asked governments at different levels to endeavor to ensure all urban and rural residents to be covered by basic health care service, a key livelihood issue in the country.

Hu, also General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the call at a group study of the members of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee on Friday afternoon, said a statement issued on Saturday.

The political bureau members held discussions with two research fellows - Rao Keqin from the Ministry of Health and Ge Yanfeng from the State Council's Development Research Center - who made speeches on the issues of China's heath care reform and global health care development.

In his speech, Hu also called for more efforts to establish a national system of essential medicines, enhance health care service at grassroots level, and advance the pilot reform of state-owned hospitals.

Chinese president calls for universal basic health care