Cities across China have recently upgraded locally customized supplementary health insurance programs to further relieve locals residents' medical expenditure burden, particularly from severe diseases.

In Beijing, at least 500,000 residents have bought a locally customized supplementary health insurance program after it was issued on Tuesday, Beijing Daily reported.

Costing each applicant 195 yuan (around $27) a year with a maximum sum insured of up to 3 million yuan, the annually renewable health insurance program was initially launched in the municipality in July 2021, tailoring for people who already have basic public medical insurance to further relieve their medical expenditure.

The health insurance program issued on Tuesday costs applicants the same amount of money and offers the same amount of coverage as those released last July, according to a press conference held to mark the insurance's launch on Tuesday.

While the one launched last July only covers applicants who have participated in Beijing basic medical insurance, the latest health insurance program will cover applicants including deliverymen who hold a Beijing residence permit and have participated in basic medical insurance in other cities, municipalities and autonomous regions, according to the press conference.

Besides, the number of domestically made special drugs in the latest health insurance program increased to 40 from 25 covered in the one launched last July, according to the press conference, which added that the list of special drugs should be adjusted according to the national medical insurance catalog and the needs of citizens.

The medical insurance will be effective from January 1 to December 31, 2023.

Like Beijing, cities in other provinces including east China's Zhejiang Province and northeast China's Heilongjiang Province also increased the scope of insurance coverage, including more residents, more new drugs, special drugs and innovative diagnosis and treatment technologies.

"I can't believe the health insurance program which cost me 100 yuan could cover so much for me," said Wang Qiuying, a resident of Shaoxing City, east China's Zhejiang Province. The program did not cost Wang more money when she checked out the hospital.

However, whether the relatively low-cost health insurance program could maintain sustainable growth is a question.

Given the insurance programs have accumulated customers in recent years, experts admit there will be challenges for the programs' sustainable growth in the future, adding that as a new insurance product, its terms also need to be improved constantly in accordance with customers' new demands.

The relatively low-cost locally customized supplementary health insurance program was firstly launched in Shenzhen City, south China's Guangdong Province, across the country in 2015.

Other cities, municipalities and autonomous regions across China have gradually issued similar health insurance programs. By the end of 2021, 244 cities across the country had launched the programs, with more than 140 million participants and 14 billion yuan in premium income.