The Chinese mainland's National Healthcare Security Administration has unveiled a major update to its medical service pricing guidelines, adding more than 100 high-end treatment procedures to the list and aiming to broaden access to cutting-edge technologies across the public healthcare system.
One of the standout changes is a 30 percent cost reduction for artificial heart implantation surgery, which now drops from roughly 1 million yuan (about $140,000) to 700,000 yuan. This adjustment comes courtesy of standardized pricing policies and closer cooperation with domestic device manufacturers to trim distribution markups.
Beyond artificial hearts, the revised guidelines encompass advanced procedures such as proton radiation therapy, cochlear implants, artificial larynx devices and brain-computer interface technologies. Earlier this year, a national procurement program for cochlear implants slashed prices by a striking 80 percent through bulk purchasing, driving costs down from over 200,000 yuan to just 50,000 yuan per unit.
These reforms are part of the Chinese mainland's broader push to make life-saving medical technologies more affordable and widely available, especially within its public healthcare system.
As pricing policies evolve, patients and providers alike will be watching to see how access to high-tech treatments transforms healthcare delivery across the region.
Reference(s):
China cuts high-tech medical costs via new pricing guidelines
cgtn.com
