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Distribution of medical insurance in China

Author

Listed:
  • Henderson, Gail
  • Shuigao, Jin
  • Akin, John
  • Zhiming, Li
  • Jianmin, Wang
  • Haijiang, Ma
  • Yunan, He
  • Xiping, Zhang
  • Ying, Chang
  • Keyou, Ge

Abstract

This paper investigates factors related to the distribution of medical insurance coverage in China, using information from an eight-province household survey of almost 16,000 individuals, conducted in 1989. Results of bivariate analyses show that medical insurance coverage, defined very broadly, varies considerably by individual and regional characteristics. Age, gender, education, occupation, employment sector, urbanization, level of industrial and commercial development, and province are all related to being insured or not. In addition, we find that the type of insurance program available to people varies by these same factors, and that the benefits provided by the seemingly uniform public and worker programs also vary, especially by province and degree of urban development. When the individual and regional variables are considered together in logistic regression analyses, the factors most strongly statistically related to the likelihood of being insured are where one works and where one lives. The distribution of insurance benefits in China appears to result in a pattern in which the rural and the poor, who are often at great risk of illness, are less likely to have medical insurance.

Suggested Citation

  • Henderson, Gail & Shuigao, Jin & Akin, John & Zhiming, Li & Jianmin, Wang & Haijiang, Ma & Yunan, He & Xiping, Zhang & Ying, Chang & Keyou, Ge, 1995. "Distribution of medical insurance in China," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 41(8), pages 1119-1130, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:41:y:1995:i:8:p:1119-1130
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Mingsheng Chen & Yuxin Zhao & Lei Si, 2014. "Who Pays for Health Care in China? The Case of Heilongjiang Province," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(10), pages 1-11, October.
    2. Wagstaff, Adam & Lindelow, Magnus, 2008. "Can insurance increase financial risk?: The curious case of health insurance in China," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 27(4), pages 990-1005, July.
    3. Nuo Wang & Christian Gericke & Huixin Sun, 2009. "Comparison of health care financing schemes before and after market reforms in China’s urban areas," Frontiers of Economics in China, Springer;Higher Education Press, vol. 4(2), pages 173-191, June.
    4. Ramesh, M. & Wu, Xun, 2009. "Health policy reform in China: Lessons from Asia," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 68(12), pages 2256-2262, June.
    5. Eggleston, Karen & Wang, Jian & Rao, Keqin, 2008. "From plan to market in the health sector?: China's experience," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 19(5-6), pages 400-412.
    6. Wu, Yanrui, 1997. "China's health care sector in transition: resources, demand and reforms," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(2), pages 137-152, February.
    7. Mocan, H. Naci & Tekin, Erdal & Zax, Jeffrey S., 2004. "The Demand for Medical Care in Urban China," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 32(2), pages 289-304, February.
    8. Eddy van Doorslaer & Owen O'Donnell & Ravindra P. Rannan-Eliya & Aparnaa Somanathan & Shiva Raj Adhikari & Charu C. Garg & Deni Harbianto & Alejandro N. Herrin & Mohammed Nazmul Huq & Shamsia Ibragimo, 2007. "Catastrophic payments for health care in Asia," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 16(11), pages 1159-1184.
    9. Eddy van Doorslaer & Owen O'Donnell & Ravindra P. Rannan‐Eliya & Aparnaa Somanathan & Shiva Raj Adhikari & Charu C. Garg & Deni Harbianto & Alejandro N. Herrin & Mohammed Nazmul Huq & Shamsia Ibragimo, 2007. "Catastrophic payments for health care in Asia," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 16(11), pages 1159-1184, November.
    10. Eddy van Doorslaer, 2007. "Paying Out-of-Pocket for Health Care in Asia: Catastrophic and Poverty Impact," Working Papers id:823, eSocialSciences.
    11. Linping Xiong & Xiuqiang Ma, 2007. "Forecasting China's Medical Insurance Policy for Urban Employees Using a Microsimulation Model," Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation, Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation, vol. 10(1), pages 1-8.
    12. Zhou, Guoliang & Chen, Ran & Chen, Mingsheng, 2020. "Equity in health-care financing in China during the progression toward universal health coverage," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 61(C).
    13. Karen Eggleston & Winnie Yip, 2004. "Hospital Competition under Regulated Prices: Application to Urban Health Sector Reforms in China," International Journal of Health Economics and Management, Springer, vol. 4(4), pages 343-368, December.
    14. Teh‐Wei Hu & Michael Ong & Zi‐Hua Lin & Elizabeth Li, 1999. "The effects of economic reform on health insurance and the financial burden for urban workers in China," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 8(4), pages 309-321, June.
    15. repec:bla:glopol:v:8:y:2017:i:s2:p:110-116 is not listed on IDEAS
    16. Tu, Feng & Tokunaga, Shoji & Deng, ZhouLu & Nobutomo, Koichi, 2002. "Analysis of hospital charges for cerebral infarction stroke inpatients in Beijing, People's Republic of China," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 59(3), pages 243-256, March.
    17. Bredenkamp, Caryn, 2009. "Policy-related determinants of child nutritional status in China: The effect of only-child status and access to healthcare," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 69(10), pages 1531-1538, November.
    18. Panos Kanavos & Olivier Wouters & Wei Yang & Xun Wu, 2017. "Providing Comprehensive Health Insurance Coverage in Rural China: a Critical Appraisal of the New Cooperative Medical Scheme and Ways Forward," Global Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 8, pages 110-116, March.

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