‘Mad to boost birth rate’: China allows retirees to claim prenatal exam costs, sparks mockery

South China Morning PostEN 1 min read 100% complete by Fran LuJanuary 20, 2026 at 11:00 AM

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China's National Healthcare Security Administration in Beijing announced a new policy allowing retirees to be reimbursed for prenatal examination costs, effective January 1, 2026. The policy, intended to boost the birth rate, also increases the total reimbursement amount per person from 3,000 yuan to 10,000 yuan and allows male employees to claim reimbursements for their unemployed spouses. The policy applies to self-employed residents participating in social insurance. The announcement sparked widespread mockery online due to the unlikelihood of pensioners requiring prenatal care. The news quickly became a trending topic on Chinese social media, attracting millions of views.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

National Healthcare Security Administration 70% China 90% Beijing ×495%

Keywords

prenatal exam costs 90% china 90% birth rate 80% retirees 80% beijing 70% reimbursement 70% healthcare policy 60% mockery 60% social insurance 50%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative

Score: -0.40

Source Transparency

Source

South China Morning Post

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

Beijing

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis.

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prenatal exam costs china birth rate retirees beijing reimbursement healthcare policy mockery social insurance

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