The 2026 China Direct Billing Hospital Index
An open, verifiable dataset of international-insurer direct billing networks across Chinese hospitals. Updated continuously from source-verified records.
Data as of 2026-07-01 · Cite freely with attribution (CC BY 4.0)
Direct billing network size by insurer
Cigna (via its CMB partnership) and MSH operate the largest verified direct billing networks in our directory; Cigna leads on public-hospital international departments while MSH leads on clinic coverage.
International healthcare capacity by city
| City | Hospitals & clinics | Direct billing relations | Share of national network |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shanghai | 27 | 34 | 42.9% |
| Beijing | 11 | 27 | 17.5% |
| Guangzhou | 5 | 5 | 7.9% |
| Shenzhen | 5 | 0 | 7.9% |
| Chengdu | 4 | 0 | 6.3% |
| Hangzhou | 3 | 4 | 4.8% |
| Nanjing | 2 | 0 | 3.2% |
| Suzhou | 2 | 0 | 3.2% |
| Tianjin | 2 | 0 | 3.2% |
| Chongqing | 1 | 0 | 1.6% |
| Qingdao | 1 | 0 | 1.6% |
Insurer × city coverage matrix
| Insurer | Shanghai | Beijing | Guangzhou | Shenzhen | Chengdu | Hangzhou | Nanjing | Suzhou | Tianjin | Chongqing | Qingdao |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cigna (CMB) | 7 | 7 | 2 | · | · | 2 | · | · | · | · | · |
| MSH International | 9 | 3 | 1 | · | · | 2 | · | · | · | · | · |
| Bupa Global | 5 | 7 | 1 | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| AXA | 6 | 5 | 1 | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| Allianz Worldwide Care | 3 | 3 | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| Aetna International | 4 | 2 | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
The most insurer-connected hospitals
Methodology & citation
Every direct billing relationship in this index is cross-referenced between two independent sources: the insurer’s published provider network and the hospital’s published insurance list. Records carry a last-verified date; relationships verifiable from only one source are marked and excluded from these counts. Hospital coverage is limited to facilities offering English-language services to international patients.
Suggested citation: MedBridge China, “The 2026 China Direct Billing Hospital Index,” medbridge.bitatlas.top/reports/direct-billing-index-2026/ (data as of 2026-07-01, CC BY 4.0).
Journalists and researchers: the full machine-readable dataset behind this index is available on request, and our methodology page documents source priorities. Methodology