Govt mulls making retirees pay health insurance

China is studying the possibility of introducing medial insurance fees for retirees, a move that has split expert and public opinion.

In an article for Seeking the Truth, the official Party magazine, Finance Minister Lou Jiwei said the government should look at the option as a way to tackle rising pressure on the national health system. Unlike in most countries, retirees in China are not required to pay health insurance.

By the end of 2014, about 283 million Chinese were included in the so-called employee medical insurance program, a main pillar of the national system, according to the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security.