On October 25, a press conference was held in Kunming to mark the 20th anniversary of the Employee Medical Mutual Assistance Program in Yunnan Province. According to reports from the conference, the Yunnan Provincial Federation of Trade Unions has made significant progress over the past two decades in areas such as expanding participant coverage, enhancing benefit levels, and implementing systemic improvements aided by digital technology. Notably, the 20th phase of the program recorded 3.62 million participating employees, bringing the total number of participants over the years to 58.6 million. The program has also provided assistance to 7 million hospitalized workers, with a total payout exceeding 4.8 billion yuan.
Zhang Chi, Vice Chairman and member of the Party Leadership Group of the Yunnan Provincial Federation of Trade Unions, noted the remarkable increase in the number of participants over the 20 years—from 1.8 million in the first phase to 3.62 million in the 20th phase, a growth of 100%. Since the 19th phase, the Federation has included new employment forms and migrant workers in the program, ensuring they receive sufficient medical coverage. The initial phase saw nearly 30,000 participants take part.
To improve the benefit levels, the Federation has made eight adjustments to the program, including raising the threshold for subsidies, increasing payout percentages, and enhancing minimum and maximum benefit limits. In the 19th phase, changes in calculation methods, inclusion of out-of-pocket expenses for reimbursement, secondary subsidies, and the provision of significant accident insurance were implemented, continuously improving reimbursement rates for hospitalized employees and their sense of health security.
Over the years, the number of beneficiaries receiving annual subsidies has seen a remarkable increase, rising from 70,980 in the first phase to 542,395 in the 19th phase. Likewise, the maximum individual annual subsidy has grown from 96,760 yuan to 1 million yuan.
In terms of system development, the Federation has introduced over ten regulatory documents, including management and implementation guidelines, establishing a comprehensive and standardized regulatory framework.
By 2021, all 16 prefectures and cities in Yunnan Province had achieved a fully paperless process for the Employee Medical Mutual Assistance program. That same year, a module for medical mutual assistance was launched on the “Yunling Employees” mobile app, allowing workers to access services without leaving their homes, significantly enhancing the efficiency of the subsidy process. Currently, the mobile app has facilitated 900,000 instances of medical mutual assistance reimbursement.
