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The effects of public health insurance expansion on private health insurance in urban China

Author

Listed:
  • Xiaohui Hou

    (World Bank)

  • Jing Zhang

    (Renmin University of China)

Abstract

The public social health insurance coverage has rapidly increased in China in the last decade. The rapid market development and high economic growth also present an immense opportunity for the private insurance market. This paper uses the China Health and Nutrition Survey panel data and the difference-in-difference method to identify the causal effects of public health insurance expansion on private health insurance development in the case of expansion of the China Urban Residential Basic Medical Insurance (URBMI) program. The paper finds private health insurance enrollment is not affected by the introduction and expansion of URBMI. Rather, private health insurance plays supplementary roles. The findings present the challenges and opportunities for public policies to develop and regulate private health insurance to meet the market niches and provide health insurance to the demands of a heterogeneous population. The findings also have broader implications for other developing nations where public health insurance intends to rapidly expand towards the universal health coverage.

Suggested Citation

  • Xiaohui Hou & Jing Zhang, 2017. "The effects of public health insurance expansion on private health insurance in urban China," International Journal of Health Economics and Management, Springer, vol. 17(3), pages 359-375, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:ijhcfe:v:17:y:2017:i:3:d:10.1007_s10754-017-9213-0
    DOI: 10.1007/s10754-017-9213-0
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    Cited by:

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    2. Runguo Wu & Niying Li & Angelo Ercia, 2020. "The Effects of Private Health Insurance on Universal Health Coverage Objectives in China: A Systematic Literature Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(6), pages 1-21, March.
    3. Li, Xiaoxue & Tian, Liu, 2020. "The effect of non-employment-based health insurance program on firm's offering of health insurance: Evidence from the social health insurance system in China," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 48(4), pages 997-1010.
    4. Guangsheng Wan & Zixuan Peng & Yufeng Shi & Peter C. Coyte, 2020. "What Are the Determinants of the Decision to Purchase Private Health Insurance in China?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(15), pages 1-15, July.
    5. Jiang, Yawen & Ni, Weiyi, 2020. "Impact of supplementary private health insurance on hospitalization and physical examination in China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).
    6. Chen, Hua & Ding, Yugang & Wang, Xiangnan & Yang, Yifei, 2023. "The effect of public insurance policy on the private insurance market: New evidence from a quasi-experiment in China," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 937-953.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Public health insurance; Private health insurance; Urban China; Crowd-out;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I13 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Insurance, Public and Private
    • D1 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior
    • H4 - Public Economics - - Publicly Provided Goods

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