With no money, no papers, and no way to say who you are, emergency care still has to come first

The state has a disease emergency-assistance fund that pays emergency fees for both of these groups: people whose identity cannot be established, and people who cannot pay. A hospital must not refuse or delay the rescue, and an emergency center must not keep the ambulance in because of money. So do not stay home and endure it because you have no money, and do not skip calling an ambulance for fear of the bill. This money covers only the emergency. The hospital stay after that still goes through yibao (basic medical insurance) and medical assistance.

Cost

No money.

Benefit

The people the disease emergency-assistance system covers are "patients who suffer an acute, severe, or critical injury or illness inside China, who need emergency care, but whose identity is unclear or who cannot pay the corresponding fees." The fund pays both kinds of fees: "emergency fees incurred by a patient whose identity cannot be established," and "emergency fees left unpaid by a patient whose identity is clear but who cannot pay." The document also says "medical institutions of every kind, and their staff, must treat a patient with an acute, severe, or critical injury in time and effectively, and must not refuse, shift, or delay treatment for any reason." Pre-hospital emergency care has a rule too. The national pre-hospital medical emergency number is "120." An emergency center (station) "must not refuse, shift, or delay pre-hospital medical emergency service because of dispatch," and also "must not refuse or delay pre-hospital medical emergency service because of fees." Transport follows "the principles of nearness, urgency, meeting the professional need, and taking the patient's wishes into account" (nationwide, since 2013).

Notes

The fund pays only the "emergency fee" stretch. Treatment comes first, and the institution applies to the fund afterward. You do not collect the money at a window. If you have yibao, you still use yibao first, as usual. The application steps and the caps differ by province. In the transport principles, "nearness and urgency" come before "the patient's wishes," so the ambulance will not necessarily take you to the hospital you name. When the case is critical, the nearest place that can handle it is the rule. If what you still pay yourself afterward is still too heavy, use medical assistance. See Section 7, item 10 (medical assistance).

Sources · 2

1. 国务院办公厅 (2013). 关于建立疾病应急救助制度的指导意见（国办发〔2013〕15 号）. gov.cn/zhengce/zhengceku/2013-03/01/content_6…
2. 国家卫生和计划生育委员会 (2014). 院前医疗急救管理办法（委令第 3 号，第十三、二十二、二十三、二十五条）. gov.cn/gongbao/content/2014/content_2580977.htm