医保目录动态调整机制 (yībǎo mùlù dòngtài tiáozhěng jīzhì): Dynamic adjustment mechanism of national drug reimbursement list

Speaking during the first of the "passageway interviews" during this year's Two Sessions Hu Jinglin, head of China's National Healthcare Security Administration, said on Sunday that China will establish a dynamic adjustment mechanism for the national drug reimbursement list. According to Hu, a dynamic adjustment mechanism for the national drug reimbursement list is expected to be established by September.

Hu said the adjustment of the national drug reimbursement list will take into full consideration the affordability of medical insurance fund as well as clinic demands. In particular, the adjustment will give priority to essential drugs, medicines for serious diseases including cancer and rare diseases, medicines for chronic diseases and medicines for children's diseases.

Meanwhile, to maintain the sustainability of the medical insurance fund, the list will also consider the withdrawal mechanism of some medicines after strict expert reviews.

In general, the dynamic adjustment of the national drug reimbursement list aims to optimize the drug list and enable more urgently needed medicines to be included on the list, in order to further reduce the difficulties and ease the high economic burden on patients.