The state of healthcare in China is in many ways better than it was in the era of the barefoot doctors, with average life expectancy in the country now trailing the United States by only three years and morbidity rates far lower too. But while even the most cutting-edge medical services are available in first-tier cities for a price, China’s transition to a market economy has left many in the lurch, with out-of-pocket healthcare costs soaring even as the government rolls out more comprehensive health insurance support. How have the new healthcare system reforms inaugurated in 2009 worked out so far?