Taiwan residents on Chinese mainland eligible for medical insurance: spokesperson

BEIJING, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Taiwan residents working or living on the Chinese mainland are eligible for basic medical insurance, and they can pay premiums and enjoy the benefits in accordance with regulations, a mainland spokesperson said on Wednesday.

A Taiwan compatriot receives a dose of COVID-19 vaccine at Shanghai Guanghua Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine in east China's Shanghai, April 19, 2021. (File photo: Xinhua)

A total of 310,000 people from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan had been covered by basic medical insurance on the Chinese mainland by the third quarter of 2022, Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said at a press conference.

They include 127,000 people covered by basic medical insurance for urban employees, and 183,000 by basic medical insurance for rural and non-working urban residents, Zhu added.

Relevant policies have also been introduced to meet the housing needs of Taiwan compatriots on the Chinese mainland, Zhu said, adding that the Taiwan compatriots with mainland residence permits may, if qualified, purchase homes and apply for public-rental housing on the Chinese mainland.