The New Rural Cooperative Medical Care System is proposed by the central government in China to finance farmers who face high medical costs for severe diseases or injuries. It is a multi-channel fundraising system composed by the government, collectives and individuals. Farmers pay 20 yuan to join in the fund while the governments contribute 80 yuan for each participant. According to the Ministry of Health, about 95 billion yuan was collected in 2009, while 92 billion yuan was paid out as reimbursement. By the end of 2009, about 833 million rural residents had joined in the system, accounting for 94 percent of the rural population.