Anhui Held a Public Health and Medical Insurance Policy Seminar

On June 2nd, 2018, the China Hepatitis C Elimination Alliance Public Welfare Project team held a seminar on hepatitis C public health and medical insurance policy in Hefei, Anhui province. During the half-day pragmatic and efficient meeting, leaders and experts from various fields of human resources and social security, medical insurance and health care in Beijing, Anhui and Jiangsu provinces exchanged and shared relevant experience in medical insurance system construction, and discussed the implementation of including hepatitis C drugs into medical insurance list so as to solve the problem of drug reimbursement for patients as soon as possible.

During the meeting

Speech by director-general Dai Yi

Duan Zhengming (director of Social Security Center of National Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security), Dai Yi (director-general of Anhui Provincial Department of Human Resources and Social Security), Sun Liqun (director of Medical Insurance Office under the Department of Human Resources and Social Security of Anhui Province), Tang Weijian (director of Medical Insurance Center under the Department of Human Resources and Social Security of Anhui Province), Zhan Yiyang (director of Jiangsu Province Hospital), Huang Guangzhen (director-general of Xuzhou Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau), Chen Weidong (a professor from Anhui University of Chinese Medicine), Shi Weibing (a professor from Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Chinese Medicine), and other leading experts were invited to attend the meeting and discuss over hepatitis C public health and medical insurance policy. The meeting was presided over by Professor Wang Xun from the Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University. Representatives from China Hepatitis C Elimination Alliance Public Welfare Project partners also participated in the event.

Prof. Shi Weibing introduced the status quo of hepatitis C prevention and control in China.

From an expert perspective, Prof. Shi Weibing first introduced the status quo of hepatitis C prevention and control in the world and China He said that there were about 10 million people infected with hepatitis C in China. In recent years, the incidence of hepatitis C is increasing, and the prevalence rate is relatively high in some rural areas. Hepatitis C is currently a major global challenge. To reach the goal of eliminating hepatitis C by 2030, it is suggested to improve hepatitis C prevention, to strengthen hepatitis C screening, diagnosis, treatment and monitoring for high-risk groups and areas, to decrease DAA price and increase treatment accessibility through government negotiation mechanism, and to strengthen health education for the public and mobilize the entire society to eliminate discrimination against hepatitis C.

Director Duan Zhengming interpreted medical insurance policy.

Subsequently, Director Duan Zhengming and Director Sun Liqun introduced the status quo of medical insurance and coping strategies for existing problems from national and local government levels.

Mr. Duan introduced the formal establishment of National Medical Insurance Bureau recently would play an important role in promoting the reform of China's medical insurance policy from four aspects. It will help rationalize the medical management system, improve the medical insurance operation mechanism, increase the efficiency of medical insurance fund, and to promote the "three medical linkage" reform.

He also elaborated on the duties of the newly established National Medical Insurance Bureau and summarized with five words, i.e. “guarantee, price, procurement, payment, supervision”, emphasizing that staff members from medical care, medical insurance, and medicine departments must adjust the working mechanism to achieve desired effects of medical reform.

Director Sun Liqun gave a detailed introduction to the implementation of medical insurance in Anhui province. He pointed out that medical insurance directory adjustment and medical insurance supervision and management were closely interlinked and mutually reinforcing with a common goal of ensuring the reasonable use and standardized operation of medical insurance fund.

Director Sun Liqun introduced the status quo of medical insurance in Anhui.

The promotion of medical insurance not only relies on the support and regulation from the government, but also need active participation from medical institutions and pharmaceutical companies. Director Zhan Yiyang and Director Huang Guangzhen introduced medical insurance management of hospitals in Jiangsu province and the successful experience of implementing single-disease payment in Xuzhou city.

Director Zhan Yiyang

Director Zhan introduced the good experience in Jiangsu Province to set up a medical insurance management exchange platform through the establishment of Hospital Medical Insurance Management Committee under Jiangsu Province Hospital Association and the Hospital Medical Insurance Committee under Jiangsu Medical Insurance Research Association, which laid a communication basis for hospitals and medical insurance organizations. He shared thoughts on good practice in hospital medical insurance management: to have high attention from the leadership and active participation from the staff; to give priority to patient and protect their interests; to attach importance to publicity and standardize clinical practice; to improve assessment methods and promote self-management; to innovate approach and use theory to guide practice; and to adapt to the circumstances and realize continuous improvement.

Director-general Huang Guangzhen

Director-general Huang introduced the impact of interventions from hospitals and insured personnel on fund expenditures in Xuzhou, which led to the continuous growth of single-disease expenses, the reduction of personal burden and the reduction of fund expenditures. Regarding the single-disease settlement of birth insurance in Xuzhou, he thought that it not only solved the payment problem between medical institutions and hospitals, but also solved the charging problem between hospitals and patients, benefiting those three parties at the same time.

Prof. Chen Weidong

Prof. Chen Weidong shared the application of pharmacoeconomics in medical insurance management, emphasizing the role of pharmacoeconomics in medical insurance management, i.e. regulating the drug scope of medical insurance. It is an important means to control health care costs and to guide clinical medication and patient medication.

Regarding how to apply pharmacoeconomics in medical insurance drug catalogue management, he called for starting "Health Economics" or "Pharmaceutical Economics" course in domestic medical colleges or medical professions so as to strengthen training for clinicians, pharmacists and relevant staff in pharmacoeconomics, strengthening the research in pharmacoeconomics theory and methodology, enhancing the construction of big data and information platforms, creating more national institutions like NICE in the UK and establishing a national patient-centered health technology assessment center.

Director Li Mingyang introduced the medical insurance situation of various regions learnt during the implementation process of China Hepatitis C Elimination Alliance Public Welfare Project. In Zhejiang province, hepatitis C drugs have been included into the critical illness insurance program. In Tianjin, hepatitis C drugs follows the single disease payment mode. Yulin, Shaanxi Province, is promoting screening tests for hepatitis C so as to accelerate the inclusion of hepatitis C drugs into medical insurance list. Changsha, Hunan province, has similar ideas and plans to start screening tests from migrant workers. In addition, Roche Diagnostics, as a representative of project partners, also shared measures taken to promote the elimination of hepatitis C.