Shanxi province has announced an upgrade to its maternity insurance policy, effective July 1, to reduce out-of-pocket expenses for insured employees during childbirth. This new policy will be implemented in the provincial capital, Taiyuan, and the provincial-level insurance pool.

Under the revised policy, any remaining hospital maternity medical expenses that fall within the scope of the basic medical insurance's "three catalogs" and meet the payment standards will be fully covered. These expenses will be classified as Category A, with no deductible, and will be reimbursed at a 100 percent rate by the maternity insurance. This means that insured employees will not have to pay anything out of pocket for hospital maternity expenses within the policy's scope.

Medical expenses incurred for newborns during the mother's hospital stay that meet the specified criteria will also be covered under the maternity insurance.

Other regions in Shanxi are currently updating their information systems to implement the "no out-of-pocket" policy for maternity hospital expenses. These changes are expected to roll out soon, better protecting the maternity rights of insured individuals across the province.