A New medical insurance scheme for migrant workers in Shenzhen was introduced Wednesday, the Daily Sunshine reported.

The new scheme requires employers to pay 13 yuan (US$1.6), and migrant workers to pay 7 yuan as medical insurance to cover both hospitalization and medical treatment for each migrant worker.

According to the new plan, if hospitalized, migrant workers joining the medical insurance scheme will have to pay 300 yuan but be eligible for a 90 percent reimbursement of any cost incurred on top of that. The maximum payout is four times the average annual salary of migrant workers.

The new scheme will entitle migrant workers to more than 2,000 types of medicines.

One half of the insurance fees will be used for hospitalization, while another 8 yuan will go to cover the clinic¡¯s costs, the remaining 2 yuan will serve as a risk adjustment fee, officials of the municipal labor and social security bureau said.

The new scheme will take effect in Buji, Longgang sub-districts in Longgang District, Longhua and Shajing sub-districts in Bao¡¯an District on Jan. 1 2005, officials said.

The bureau and the municipal public health bureau originally proposed three alternatives earlier this month, and have sought public opinion on them.

The new scheme is the first medical insurance policy for migrant workers in China, and will make it easier for them to seek affordable medical treatment.

 
Editor: Catherine