In Depth: China Debates Who Should Pay for Public Health Crises

The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed shortcomings in China’s medical system and triggered a national debate about how public health emergencies should be funded and what role the medical insurance system should play.

Health experts have told Caixin that changes need to be made to the allocation of fiscal resources so that more money is set aside to cope with events such as Covid-19, and clearer rules are required that define the role of the medical insurance system in times of emergency and what its funds pay for.