ABSTRACT
Changes in China’s healthcare and medical systems have consistently impacted the growth of commercial health insurance, and this situation is likely to continue in the future. This chapter focuses on the impact of ‘comprehensive medical reform’ on the development of commercial health insurance. It includes an analysis of relevant policies, a forecast of the development of China's medical and healthcare systems, and a specific analysis of the space into which commercial health insurance can develop. The chapter combs through several mainstream models that various parts of China are using to enable commercial insurance to participate in the medical reform. It analyzes each briefly and then the chapter elaborates on why commercial insurance has not yet made any clear progress in affecting the medical reform. The chapter highlights that commercial insurance must be allowed to retain its autonomy, whether or not it is handling basic medical insurance. Otherwise, it will be impossible for market mechanisms to play their necessary role.
