China's basic medical insurance coverage remained stable at over 1.3 billion people in the first quarter of this year, with contribution revenues reaching 598.1 billion yuan, up 5.3 percent year-on-year, according to data from the State Taxation Administration.

Latest tax figures showed that the number of employed people paying basic medical insurance premiums stood at 260 million in the first quarter, an increase of 1.8 percent from a year earlier. Including urban and rural residents enrolled in the medical insurance scheme and retirees, the total number of people covered by basic medical insurance stood at over 1.3 billion.

Meanwhile, the enrollment for the 2026 urban and rural residents' basic medical insurance program has also basically concluded, generating payment income of 350.4 billion yuan, the administration said.

"China's stable and improving economy, along with overall stable employment, has provided fundamental support for the deeper implementation of the basic medical insurance system," Tang Jiqiang, a professor at the China financial research institute of Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, said.

Tang noted that in the realm of resident medical insurance, government subsidies have long accounted for over 60 percent of the fund's total revenue, serving as the primary source of financing.

"The continued injection of fiscal subsidies has effectively reduced the payment burden on residents, improved medical insurance benefits and provided strong support for consolidating universal insurance coverage," he said.

According to the taxation authority, it has fully implemented online payment services for basic medical insurance premiums nationwide, with over 95 percent of transactions now handled digitally.

An STA official said tax authorities will continue upgrading social insurance payment services by introducing a range of new measures, including intelligent payment reminder functions, integrated enrollment and payment services for flexible workers, and online inquiry services for individual social insurance payment records.