STARTING next year, rural folk and unemployed urban citizens in Shanghai will be grouped together under a new public health care insurance scheme, which is expected to significantly boost rural welfare, local authorities announced yesterday.

　　Currently, rural residents and unemployed urban citizens are bracketed in different health care schemes with the former enjoying fewer medical spending covered by the public funds.

　　But under the new unified health insurance management scheme, the per capita annual premium for rural residents will be raised from less than 2,000 yuan (US$315) to more than 3,000 yuan per year — on par with the city dwellers — with around 90 percent covered by the government, the Human Resources and Social Security Bureau announced yesterday.

　　The new scheme will cover 60 to 90 percent of the rural population’s actual medical expenses when they are hospitalized. Right now, an amount of up to 120,000 yuan is covered. If the bills run up to more than 120,000 yuan, they have to bear the costs themselves.

　　In the existing rural insurance scheme, the government pays up to 5,000 yuan for annual outpatient services per person, but that will all change now. Under the new scheme, there won’t be any limits with the public funds paying between 50-70 percent of the actual expenses.

　　The urban insured will also enjoy more benefits under the unified plan with 50 to 70 percent of their outpatient service costs paid by the public fund for 500 or more yuan. Previously, the limit was set at 1,000 yuan.

　　In rural clinics, 80 percent of their expenses will be covered by the public fund immaterial of the bill. All the 1,300-odd rural clinics will be brought under the scheme for effective implementation of the new scheme.