Covered by Medical Insurance! Are Brain-Computer Interfaces Available For Us?

（原标题：Covered by Medical Insurance! Are Brain-Computer Interfaces Available For Us?）

In the 1970s,

As personal computers were only beginning to appear,

The concept of brain-computer interfaces (BCI) was already on the horizon.

Yet by 2025,

While personal computers are now in nearly every home,

BCI can still feel like science fiction.

But is that really the case?

In fact, BCI technology is much closer than most people think.

In September 2025,

The Zhejiang Provincial Medical Insurance Bureau officially added "non-invasive BCI adaptation fees" to the basic medical insurance catalog.

Why has this technology been included in insurance

Even before it's widely adopted?

Although BCI has not yet become routine in daily life,

It has already demonstrated significant medical potential.

Leading companies worldwide

Are accelerating the clinical application of BCI.

The American BCI company Synchron

Enables patients with paralysis to control external devices through brain signals.

Elon Musk frequently highlights the potential of his company Neuralink,

Claiming that BCI could eventually achieve advanced functions such as mind–computer interaction far beyond today's capabilities. 

BCI technology in China 

Is also flourishing.

In March this year, China completed its first invasive BCI clinical trial,

In which an amputee, after implant surgery,

Learned to control games using thought after targeted training.

In September, Zhujiang Hospital of Southern Medical University,

Accurately preventing seizures through 24-hour EEG monitoring.

The market size of BCI in China has grown year by year,

Reaching 3.2 billion yuan in 2024,

And projected to exceed 5.5 billion yuan by 2027.

Including BCI early in medical insurance,

Not only lowers patient access barriers,

But also accelerates its practical application,

Laying a solid foundation for wider adoption in the future.

To integrate this technology into daily life sooner and more deeply,

The Implementation Opinions on Promoting Innovative Development of the BCI Industry, issued in 2025,

Set clearer industrial goals:

Transition BCI from the lab to life

with stronger performance, broader use cases, and robust safety.

In the BCI space, Guangdong Province is out in front.

In recent years,

Rehabilitation in several hospitals across Guangdong have introduced "BCI-AI Smart Wards,"

Where patients with mobility impairments can "turn over autonomously" just by "blinking their eyes."

As of 2024,

Guangdong hosts 80 key BCI enterprises, 

Covering the full value chain from software/hardware R&D to clinical application.

Guangdong has also shown

Exceptional innovation capabilities in BCI.

In 2024, BCI-related patent filings reached 360,

Ranking second nationwide.

Guangdong's advantage in BCI,

Stems from its deep expertise in medical devices.

BCI technologies are generally classified as Class II or Class III medical devices.

By 2024, Guangdong had 4,883 medical device manufacturers,

Including 3,066 producing Class II and III devices,

- the highest in China.

Over the past five years,

The number of Class II and III medical device registrations in Guangdong has risen quickly,

Up 63.8% in total.

Future registration lists,

May see a growing number of BCI devices.

And perhaps in the upcoming 15th Five-Year Plan,

We could see a growing number of BCI devices.