Shanghai, China – 02 Sep 2026 – The Shanghai Healthcare Security Administration and the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission have jointly issued the “Catalogue of Medical Consumables for Shanghai Medical Institutions’ Medical Insurance (2026 Edition)”, mandating that all catalogued consumables be procured through full‑volume online sunshine procurement and sold at zero margin, with reimbursement governed by a Class A / Class B classification – Class B items carrying a 20% upfront cash co‑payment by insured patients. The notice takes effect on 6 November 2026 and simultaneously abolishes Shanghai’s 2019 catalogue of separately chargeable single‑use medical devices.
Policy Milestone
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Issuing Agencies | Shanghai Healthcare Security Administration; Shanghai Municipal Health Commission |
| Document | Catalogue of Medical Consumables for Shanghai Medical Institutions’ Medical Insurance (2026 Edition) – issued 2 Sep 2026 |
| Policy Basis | NHSA and seven other departments’ Pilot Program for Deepening Medical Service Price Reform (Yi Bao Fa [2021] No. 41) |
| Catalogue Structure | Formulated in units of the national medical insurance medical consumables classification; subject to dynamic adjustment |
| Procurement Rule | Catalogued consumables: full‑volume online sunshine procurement + zero‑margin sales; compliance with municipal listing/price‑negotiation and insurance payment rules |
| Reimbursement Classes | Class A: paid per basic medical insurance rules. Class B: patient pays 20% cash upfront, remainder paid per basic medical insurance rules |
| Effective Date | 6 November 2026; prior inconsistent provisions superseded |
| Repealed Document | Notice on Publishing the Catalogue of Single‑Use Medical Devices Eligible for Separate Charging (Hu Yi Bao Jia Cai [2019] No. 84) |
Catalogue Framework & Billing Rules
- Classification‑Based Design: The Shanghai catalogue is built unit‑by‑unit on the national medical insurance consumables classification system, ensuring alignment with national coding, and will be dynamically adjusted as the market and clinical practice evolve.
- “Basic Consumables” Prohibition: When delivering care, medical institutions must provide consumables already included in the “basic consumables” component of medical service price items – they may not require patients to self‑procure such items or charge for them separately.
- Sunshine Procurement & Zero Margin: All catalogued consumables must be purchased entirely online through transparent procurement channels and sold to patients at zero markup, following Shanghai’s rules on listing, price negotiation and insurance payment.
- Class A/B Payment Mechanics: Class A consumables are reimbursed directly under Shanghai’s basic medical insurance regulations; Class B consumables require the insured patient to first bear 20% in cash, classified as a self‑pay share, with the remaining cost then reimbursed per standard rules.
Exemptions & Special Populations
- Excluded Groups: The proportional Class B co‑payment rules apply to Shanghai basic medical insurance participants, except veteran Red Army soldiers, retired cadres and disabled veterans graded 1–6, who are exempt.
- Mutual‑Aid Plan: Participants in the Shanghai Community Medical Mutual‑Aid Assistance Program follow the same rules by reference.
- VBP Products: Payment methods for medical consumables covered by national, alliance‑level and Shanghai‑organized volume‑based procurement are governed by their respective existing regulations.
Market Impact & Outlook
- End of Separate‑Charging Era for Listed Devices: Abolishing the 2019 separately chargeable single‑use device catalogue and replacing it with a unified insurance catalogue removes a legacy add‑on billing channel, tightening hospital revenue from consumables and shifting the margin burden entirely off patients for basic consumables.
- Zero‑Margin Discipline: Mandatory zero‑margin sales plus full‑volume online sunshine procurement eliminate hospital mark‑up incentives on catalogued consumables, reinforcing the national “zero‑markup” consumables policy and pushing supplier competition onto listed prices.
- Class B Co‑Pay Certainty: A uniform 20% upfront self‑pay ratio for Class B consumables gives manufacturers and hospitals a predictable reimbursement structure – but keeps cost‑sensitivity high for premium‑priced Class B products.
- National Coding Convergence: Building the catalogue on the national classification deepens Shanghai’s alignment with NHSA‑led consumables governance, easing cross‑province comparability and future national catalogue integration.
- Implementation Window: Hospitals and suppliers have roughly two months (to 6 November 2026) to remap billing systems, procurement workflows and product listings to the new catalogue.
Forward‑Looking Statements
This brief contains forward‑looking statements regarding the implementation of the Shanghai medical insurance medical consumables catalogue, including procurement compliance, reimbursement operations and dynamic catalogue adjustments. Actual outcomes may differ due to risks including implementation execution by medical institutions, supplier listing and pricing adjustments, and subsequent policy updates by national or municipal authorities.-China Health Reform Pulse
Policy Source: https://ybj.sh.gov.cn/qtwj/20260911/ea41e7ead0ff4f60b191f07967d71a5f.html