Health Insurance Reimbursement

Ten provincial-level regions have issued 12 brain-computer interface (BCI) policy documents as of August 2026, with hard numeric targets almost exclusively set for 2030, which makes the next four years critical for clearing regulatory and payment hurdles. The payment gate is the tightest constraint, as only Zhejiang and Beijing have moved BCI items into basic medical insurance reimbursement, each with conditions attached. This means most provinces still have to solve reimbursement before the 2030 targets can be met.

Eleven Chinese provincial-level jurisdictions had published prices for brain-computer interface medical services. The invasive implantation fee runs from RMB 4,389 at the lowest hospital tier in Sichuan to RMB 7,980 in Beijing (approx. $650 to $1,180 at RMB 6.74 to the dollar, the mid-August 2026 rate), and the non-invasive fitting fee from RMB 643 to 990. Sichuan, Hainan, Qinghai and Xinjiang tier prices by hospital grade, Shanghai leaves the amount to each hospital, and Jiangsu's three figures appear only in a July 2025 draft. Beijing lists all three fees as Class A at four named hospitals; Zhejiang covers the fitting fee as Class B, limited to prosthetic fitting. Sichuan, Jiangxi, Hainan, Qinghai and Xinjiang assign Class C, Shanghai excludes the fees, and Hubei and Guangdong have prices without a coverage decision.