It is great to know a foreign insurer is breaking the ice of PPO health insurance in the China market. Now that I will be able to buy health insurance coverage myself even if I choose to retire.

P.S. The United Family network is one of the best expatriate hospital chains in China.

A U.S. health-care company says it has won approval to offer Chinese citizens a comprehensive medical-insurance package -- the first of its kind in China.

The move represents a breakthrough in a country where two-thirds of the population has no health insurance, and where existing private health-care policies offered by companies like American International Group are so limited that even those insured can sometimes face crippling out-of-pocket expenses.

Chindex International Inc., a Nasdaq-listed company that runs the United Family Hospitals and Clinics network in Beijing and Shanghai, will offer the package through a Chinese state-run insurance broker, according to its president and chief executive, Roberta Lipson.

It is believed to be the first so-called preferred-provider organization health-insurance plan in China. Under the plan, participants are covered for treatment of all kinds in the United Family facilities, as well as hospitals throughout China and overseas, Ms. Lipson told a news conference. The annual premium for an individual is $3,000 and the maximum deductible -- the amount those insured must pay themselves before insurance kicks in -- is $1,000.

The United Family network has become popular with expatriates in China by offering high-quality care, including foreign-trained doctors.