Healthcare coverage to expand across the country

BEIJING - China's health insurance program - the world's largest with more than 1.2 billion people covered - will be reinforced to ensure government pays a larger portion of medical expenses, said a top health official.

By 2015, Chinese citizens will be expected to cover less than 30 percent of their medical bills, in line with the world's average, Vice-Minister of Health Zhang Mao, who is also the Party secretary of the ministry, told media last week.

To achieve that goal, public spending on the health sector will be boosted to more than 6 percent of GDP, up about 1.5 percentage points over the current level, he noted.