Hao Xiaoning: Developing Corporate Health Security and Practicing 'Investing in People'

Recently, Cigna & CMB Life Insurance Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Cigna & CMB") and the Economic Information Daily/Xinhua Health Platform under Xinhua News Agency (hereinafter referred to as "Xinhua Health") jointly released the "2025 White Paper on the Development of Corporate Health Security in China". As one of the guiding experts for the "2025 White Paper on the Development of Corporate Health Security in China" (hereinafter referred to as the "White Paper"), Hao Xiaoning, a researcher at the National Health Development Research Center of the National Health Commission, stated in an exclusive interview with a reporter from the Economic Information Daily that during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, China's economic and social development will continue to focus on promoting high-quality development, placing greater emphasis on "putting people first", ensuring and improving people's livelihoods through development, and making "promoting the all-round development of individuals and taking solid steps towards common prosperity for all people" a key goal. "Against this backdrop, corporate health security is not only an employee benefit but also a vivid practice of the 'investing in people' strategy at the micro level."

In the development of new quality productive forces, on one hand, talent is the core carrier, and employee health (including mental health) is directly related to an organization's creativity, resilience, and long-term competitiveness. On the other hand, practical challenges such as demographic changes, delayed retirement, and the increasing burden of chronic diseases require companies to address workforce health management and related costs in a more systematic and forward-looking manner. Accordingly, Hao Xiaoning emphasized: "Investments in the development of 'people', such as in education, employment, and health, will become important levers for supporting long-term development. By building a comprehensive health security system covering the entire chain, companies can enhance employees' sense of gain, strengthen talent retention capabilities, and establish a virtuous mechanism of 'cost control' and 'efficiency improvement'."

The White Paper confirms this trend through extensive research—over 70% of employees believe health benefits influence their choice of employer, and over 50% are more satisfied with the benefits of companies offering group insurance. Hao Xiaoning said, "These data not only point out the key gaps in the current corporate health security system but also provide clear data anchors for subsequently integrating overseas experience and building a localized health security model."

Hao Xiaoning believes that commercial insurance companies play a significant functional role in the transformation of health security, with their value mainly reflected in three major capabilities: "First, risk-sharing and actuarial pricing capabilities; second, cross-institutional integration capabilities; and finally, data-driven and risk control capabilities. Based on in-depth analysis of population health data and risk insights, insurance companies can help enterprises identify core health risks."

"This White Paper serves as an important action reference for helping enterprises achieve this transformation during the '15th Five-Year Plan' period. In the future, we hope the White Paper can encourage more companies to 'invest in people' in a systematic and sustainable way, truly realizing a virtuous cycle between employee health and corporate development," said Hao Xiaoning.