China's new rural cooperative medical care system now covers 832 million people, with rural residents getting larger reimbursements for their medical bills, a government official said Friday.

The new system brings China's rural health insurance coverage to over 96 percent, said Yang Qing, director of the rural health department of the Ministry of Health at a press conference.

Under the new medical insurance plan, reimbursement caps for farmers is raised from 30,000 yuan to 50,000 yuan (7,600 U.S.dollars), almost ten times more than what most farmers earn annually, according to Yang.

Farmers will be reimbursed for about 70 percent of their inpatient expenditures, 10 percentage points more than in 2010.

Central and local governments provide supportive funds for rural patients. The supportive fund increased to 200 yuan per person this year, compared to the previous amount of 120 yuan per person.

Yang said that China has also expanded a pilot project that provides financial assistance to children with congenital heart disease and leukemia.

The project helped 7,490 children to get medical treatment for these illnesses in the first quarter of this year, said Yang.