China has announced plans to fully cover childbirth-related costs for families as authorities move to incentivise young couples to have more children.
The administration said it would "improve the level of medical expense coverage for prenatal examinations, striving to achieve 'no out-of-pocket expenses' for childbirth," in a report released on Saturday.
It comes as policy makers intensify efforts to halt a deepening fertility slump that is gradually evolving into a long-term economic risk.
The new plan set to come in to effect from 2026, will ensure that new parents face little to no out-of-pocket expenses for giving birth, marking one of the most ambitious social support measures China has considered in decades.
Under the emerging framework, childbirth services including prenatal check-ups, hospital delivery, postnatal care and essential medical treatments, would be fully reimbursed through public health insurance and fiscal support.
The goal, according to policy discussions and pilot programs in several regions, is to remove financial barriers that discourage couples from having children, particularly in urban areas where medical and living costs are high.
China’s fertility rate has continued to fall despite and reached historic lows despite the formal end of all birth restrictions in 2021.
For many young couples, the cost of childbirth, childcare, education and housing has outweighed policy incentives, leading to delayed marriage, fewer births, or opting out of parenthood altogether.
Economists warn that the demographic downturn poses serious challenges to China’s growth model.
A shrinking workforce, an ageing population and rising dependency ratios are already putting pressure on productivity, pensions and public finances.
Authorities now increasingly frame fertility support not only as a social issue, but as a core economic and national development concern.
The legacy of the one-child policy continues to shape today’s demographic reality.
Enforced for more than three decades, the policy successfully slowed population growth but also entrenched small-family norms, skewed age structures and reduced the number of women of childbearing age.
Reversing those effects has proven far more difficult than lifting restrictions alone.
Authorities previously tried to encourage couples to have babies by expanding maternity leave, financial and tax benefits, and housing subsidies.
If rolled out nationwide, full childbirth cost coverage would represent a significant expansion of China’s welfare system and a clear departure from past population control approaches.
Weekend strikes hit Iran’s Natanz nuclear site and missile facilities near Isfahan, as Tehran responded with missiles and drones targeting Te...
World Trade Organization (WTO) talks broke up with no agreement on Monday on a plan for reform or even on exten...
Two sailboats carrying humanitarian aid from Mexico arrived safely in Havana on Saturday, the Mexican Navy...
The Israeli military said on Monday that Iran launched multiple waves of missiles at Israel, and an attack had ...
Afghanistan and Pakistan have traded heavy fire, both sides said, days after they announced a temporary pause i...
Weekend strikes hit Iran’s Natanz nuclear site and missile facilities near Isfahan, as Tehran responded with missiles and drones targeting Tel Aviv, Haifa Bay, and Gulf assets. With U.S. reinforcements deployed and Hormuz tensions rising, the region faces a sharply escalated crisis.
World Trade Organization (WTO) talks broke up with no agreement on Monday on a plan for reform or even on extending a moratorium on e-commerce, piling more pressure on the trade body that finds itself increasingly sidelined by economic nationalism.
Two sailboats carrying humanitarian aid from Mexico arrived safely in Havana on Saturday, the Mexican Navy said, concluding a journey in which the vessels were delayed by bad weather and briefly reported missing.
The Israeli military said on Monday that Iran launched multiple waves of missiles at Israel, and an attack had also been launched from Yemen for the second time since the U.S.-Israeli war began on Tehran. It said two drones from Yemen were intercepted early 30 March but gave no further details.
Cuba and the United States have been at odds for more than six decades, with tensions rooted in the 1959 revolution that transformed the island’s political and economic system. Renewed focus on relations comes as Donald Trump’s rhetoric intensifies and conditions on the island worsen.
NASA is aiming to launch its Artemis 2 mission on Wednesday (1 April), sending astronauts on a 10-day journey around the Moon, officials confirmed. According to the Space Administration, the launch window is due to open at 23:24 GMT, with additional opportunities to 6 April if delays occur.
The four astronauts selected for NASA’s Artemis II mission have arrived in Florida, entering the final phase of preparations for the first crewed journey towards the Moon in more than five decades
Iranian Military Spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Ibrahim Zulfiqari has warned that American soldiers will become 'food for sharks' if U.S. President Donald Trump launches ground attacks against Iran. The threat comes after the U.S. military said it was deploying thousands of Marines to the region.
Weekend strikes hit Iran’s Natanz nuclear site and missile facilities near Isfahan, as Tehran responded with missiles and drones targeting Tel Aviv, Haifa Bay, and Gulf assets. With U.S. reinforcements deployed and Hormuz tensions rising, the region faces a sharply escalated crisis.
Austria’s government on Friday approved plans to introduce a nationwide ban on social media use for children under the age of 14, alongside reforms to upper secondary school curricula aimed at boosting media literacy and Artificial Intelligence (AI) education from the 2027/28 academic year.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said that as of Wednesday evening, it has identified six new cases of meningococcal disease in Kent, bringing the total of confirmed or suspected cases to at least 27.
The Scottish Parliament has voted against legalising assisted dying, ending a years-long campaign to make Scotland the first part of the UK to allow the practice.
The war in the Middle East is beginning to disrupt the flow of critical medicines to Gulf countries, raising concerns about the supply of cancer treatments and other temperature-sensitive drugs, according to pharmaceutical industry executives.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has released $2m in emergency funding to support health responses in Lebanon, Iraq and Syria as escalating regional conflict strains hospitals, raises displacement and increases pressure on already fragile health systems.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment