On April 1, a one-year pilot program for direct settlement of cross-provincial medical bills under the work-related injury insurance scheme was launched in 131 pilot cities across the country. On the same day, Mr. Lan, a work-related injury retiree from Yulong Coal Mine in Chongqing's Dazu District, currently residing in Chengdu's Jinjiang District, was the first in the province to benefit from the direct settlement of cross-provincial medical bills under work-related injury insurance scheme. He finalized the cross-provincial registration and medical treatment procedures under the insurance scheme at the Sichuan Provincial Rehabilitation Hospital.

Mr. Lan, 66, has long been afflicted with occupational pneumoconiosis. In recent years, residing in Chengdu with his children, he has frequently required cross-provincial medical treatment and reimbursement, a process that has been notably inconvenient for him. After the pilot program's initiation, Mr. Lan promptly fulfilled the required procedures for cross-provincial medical registration and treatment under the work-related injury insurance scheme.

Throughout the pilot period, eligible workers with work-related injuries can settle related expenses directly using their social security cards at institutions designated for direct settlement in the location where they receive medical treatment. The pilot program includes three categories of work-related injury insurance recipients: individuals who permanently reside away from their home provinces, workers whose employment is permanently based outside their home provinces, and those who are referred or transferred to hospitals in other provinces for medical treatment. These three categories of workers with work-related injuries, covered under the work-related injury insurance, can apply for direct settlements of cross-provincial medical bills once their work-related injuries are identified, injury recurrence is confirmed, injury rehabilitation is verified, or assistive device fitting is confirmed.

It is important to note that residing (working) away from home provinces permanently refers to residing (working) outside the insured province for over six months; referral and transfer to hospitals outside one's home province refers to the fact that when the medical capabilities in the insured location are insufficient to complete necessary diagnoses, treatments, or device fitting, thus requiring the referral and transfer of such work-injured individuals to hospitals in other provinces for medical treatment.