China to reimburse rural patients with major diseases

Twelve major diseases, including lung cancer, will be added to a list of conditions for which rural patients can seek reimbursement for their treatment, according to a government official. A pilot program for the new additions will be introduced in one-third of China's regions this year, Minister of Health Chen Zhu said Thursday at a work conference. Chen said the program will help reduce medical costs for rural patients, who often have lower incomes than their urban counterparts. China's massive rural cooperative medical care system currently covers 832 million rural residents, or about 96 percent of the entire rural population.