When the National Development and Reform Commission, China's top economic planner, and five other government agencies issued guidelines in August on the establishment of a critical illness insurance system to cover urban and rural residents, hopes were raised that this would be a significant step toward more accessible and affordable healthcare.

Despite the fact it is a well-conceived plan, there has been lingering public suspicion about whether it will be smoothly and properly implemented, considering the relatively independent fiscal systems of local governments.

But such concerns appear unnecessary as local governments have been required to draft regulations for the plan's implementation in line with local conditions, and different versions of local healthcare issuances for major diseases have been worked out throughout the country.