$100m retrieved in China's medical insurance fund inspections

BEIJING -- Around 720 million yuan (about $100.61 million) has been retrieved as a result of national inspections of China's medical insurance funds last year, according to the National Healthcare Security Administration.

A total of 48 medical institutions in 23 provincial-level regions were inspected in the national operation, which imposed fines of more than 145 million yuan on those with malpractices and violations, data from the administration showed.

The main problems include charging extra fees and engaging in excessive treatment, examinations, and prescription of drugs in violation of standard norms.

China is improving the world's largest network for basic healthcare security, which covers about 95 percent of the country's 1.4 billion population, by enhancing the supervision of its funds.

During local inspections in 31 provincial-level regions in 2022, authorities handed out punishments to 2,413 medical institutions and recovered 1.98 billion yuan of medical insurance funds.