Source: China Financial News Network
Reporter: Dai Mengxi
Recently, the "Health and Pension Insurance Protection Index Calculation Research Report" (hereinafter referred to as the "Report"), jointly released by Nankai University's School of Finance, Xiaoyusan Insurance Brokerage, and Shouhui Insurance Agency, shows that the 2025 health insurance protection index was 0.6428, an increase of 0.0187 compared to 2024. Residents' health protection levels continue to improve, with a steadily optimizing protection structure.
The report shows that the health security structure score increased from 0.7244 to 0.7944 in 2025, reflecting significantly enhanced awareness of multi-tiered coverage among residents and improved synergy between basic medical insurance and commercial health insurance, as well as between critical illness and medical insurance. In terms of distribution by level, 3% of the population now meets the basic standard for health security—an increase of 8.18 percentage points compared to 2024—demonstrating substantial progress in expanding coverage and strengthening foundations as health security rapidly evolves from broad reach to high quality.
Young people are emerging as a new force in health protection. By age group, those aged 26–30 scored highest at 0.6676, up 0.0463 from 2024, leading all other groups. The peak scoring age range has shifted from 36–40 to 26–30, reflecting growing awareness of health protection among younger generations, accelerated adoption of commercial health insurance, and increasing acceptance of the concept of lifelong health coverage.
The demand-side report reveals a "high intent, tight budget" pattern: consumers expect expanding coverage—from multiple critical illness payouts and disease care benefits to cancer allowances, specialty drugs, and chronic disease outpatient care. Yet, annual premium willingness is heavily concentrated in the low-to-mid range, with nearly 80% of respondents falling within the same budget band. This gap between coverage expectations and affordability is precisely where product innovation can drive results. The effective solution is to modularize health insurance products: break down coverage into modules, offer tiered benefit levels, enable long-term payment plans, and allow dynamic top-ups. This lets customers build foundational protection within their current budget and gradually upgrade as income and family responsibilities grow—shifting from simply selling products to cultivating long-term relationships.
At the same time, coverage levels show a clear gradient based on education, job stability, and household income. Improvements for older adults remain relatively limited, and there is still room to expand senior-focused offerings. It should be noted that this survey sample consists primarily of potential insurance customers, so coverage levels are likely higher than those of the general population. If applied to all residents, low-income, low-education, gig economy workers, and individuals with multiple chronic conditions would have even greater room for improvement and will need more targeted products and services tailored to their needs.
The report recommends that insurance providers strengthen demand assessments based on family life cycles, integrating household income, expenditure, debt, medical risks, and existing coverage into a comprehensive analysis to guide residents in determining appropriate premium levels and coverage amounts. To address declining product fit, insurers should develop products with greater transparency, flexible payment options, and dynamically adjustable coverage, supported by regular benefit reviews and mechanisms for adding coverage as family risk profiles evolve. Furthermore, deepening the integration of "insurance + health management" and "insurance + elderly care" models will enable insurers to transition from being solely payout tools to long-term risk management and service platforms. Additionally, ongoing public education will help consumers shift from experience-based purchasing to evidence-driven protection planning.
