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Demand for social health insurance: Evidence from the Chinese New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme

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  • Yang, Miaoqing

Abstract

This paper assesses the determinants of the enrolment in the New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme (NRCMS), a heavily subsidized voluntary health insurance scheme in rural China. The analyses focus on the relationship between insurance purchase and health facility choice based on data drawn from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS). The results show that households from villages that reported use of village clinics are more likely to be insured compared with households from villages that reported use of county hospitals. The results indicate that the perception of quality of care is an important factor affecting people's enrolment decisions. The NRCMS is expected to help patients obtain better quality health services from higher-tier of the healthcare system that are unaffordable otherwise. However, given the prevailing fee-for-service payment mechanism for health care, the insurance may also drive up the healthcare cost and direct patients to use more expensive and unnecessary hospital care.

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  • Yang, Miaoqing, 2018. "Demand for social health insurance: Evidence from the Chinese New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 126-135.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:chieco:v:52:y:2018:i:c:p:126-135
    DOI: 10.1016/j.chieco.2018.06.004
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    3. Xiaojuan Shen & Weixin Yang & Shaorong Sun, 2019. "Analysis of the Impact of China’s Hierarchical Medical System and Online Appointment Diagnosis System on the Sustainable Development of Public Health: A Case Study of Shanghai," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(23), pages 1-26, November.
    4. Colin Green & Bruce Hollingsworth & Miaoqing Yang, 2021. "The impact of social health insurance on rural populations," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 22(3), pages 473-483, April.
    5. Chen, Yi & Shi, Julie & Zhuang, Castiel Chen, 2019. "Income-dependent impacts of health insurance on medical expenditures: Theory and evidence from China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 290-310.
    6. Gabriela Mihaela Mure?an & Cristian Mihai Dragos & Codru?a Mare & Simona Laura Dragos & Alexandra Pintea, 2021. "Socio-Economic and Macro-Financial Determinants and Spatial Effects on European Private Health Insurance Markets," The AMFITEATRU ECONOMIC journal, Academy of Economic Studies - Bucharest, Romania, vol. 23(56), pages 290-290, February.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Social health insurance; China; Health facility choice; Quality of care;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C21 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Cross-Sectional Models; Spatial Models; Treatment Effect Models
    • C31 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Multiple or Simultaneous Equation Models; Multiple Variables - - - Cross-Sectional Models; Spatial Models; Treatment Effect Models; Quantile Regressions; Social Interaction Models
    • I11 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Analysis of Health Care Markets
    • I13 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Insurance, Public and Private
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health

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