Beijing plans to include the costs of embryo freezing and preservation in its medical insurance reimbursement system as part of efforts to build a more fertility-friendly society, Beijing Youth Daily reported.

The city will also consider raising the reimbursement level for prenatal examination fees covered by maternity insurance, aiming to ease the financial burden of childbirth-related medical expenses for families, according to Yan Bing, spokesperson of the Beijing Municipal Medical Insurance Bureau, at a news conference on Monday afternoon.

The adjustment will be made in line with the capital's medical insurance fund revenue and expenditure.

Since Oct 9, all 88 designated hospitals in Beijing with midwifery qualifications have implemented real-time settlement of prenatal examination fees for insured pregnant women, allowing policy benefits to reach residents more efficiently.

By Oct 31, 38,360 insured expectant mothers had used the real-time settlement service, reducing out-of-pocket expenses by a total of 33.49 million yuan ($4.6 million).

In 2023, Beijing became one of the first cities in China to include 16 therapeutic assisted reproductive treatment items in its medical insurance program.

So far, 16 designated medical institutions in the capital have been approved to provide assisted reproductive services under the insurance program. The policy has benefited around 647,000 patient visits, with total treatment costs reaching 863 million yuan. Of that amount, 581 million yuan has been covered by the medical insurance fund.

Yan said the policy has significantly reduced the financial burden on couples struggling with infertility and marked an important step toward improving access to reproductive healthcare in the city.