Abstract
Using data from the Chinese Household Income Project Survey, this chapter presents an empirical analysis to verify the determinants of participation in medical insurance of urban residents. Several major conclusions emerge. Both adverse selection and liquidity constraints hypotheses were supported. The probability of participation in medical insurance was higher for the middle- and high-income groups than for the low-income group. Some low-income groups were not covered by either public or private medical insurance in 2007, indicating that income inequality results in disparities in medical insurance coverage. Additionally, medical insurance participation differs between state- and non-state-owned sectors. The findings have important policy implications for developing an equitable public medical insurance in China.
This chapter is a revised and developed version of two published papers as follows: Ma, X. (2015). Determinants of participation in medical insurance in urban China. In Ma, X. Public Medical Insurance Reform in China, Chapter 4, Kyoto: Kyoto University Press (in Japanese), copyright © Kyoto University Press, and Ma, X. (2014). The determinants of participation in Chinese urban public health insurance: Empirical analysis using 2008 Chinese Household Income Project Survey. Asian Economic (AJIA KEIZAI), 55(2), 62–94 (in Japanese), copyright © Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization (IDE-JETRO).
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Bograd, H., Ritzwoller, D. P., Calonge, N., Shields, K., & Hanrahan, M. (1997). Extending health maintenance organization insurance to the uninsured. Journal of the American Medical Association, 277(13), 1067–1072.
Drehr, P., Madden, C. W., Cheadle, A., Martin, D. P., Patrick, D. L., & Skillman, S. (1996). Will uninsured people volunteer for voluntary health insurance? Experience from Washington State. American Journal of Public Health, 86(4), 529–532.
Grossman, M. (1972). On the concept of health capital and the demand for health. Journal of Political Economy, 80, 223–255.
Grossman, M. (2000). The human capital model. In A. J. Culyer & J. P. Newhouse (Eds). Handbook of health economics Volume 1B. Elsevier.
Hofter, R. H. (2006). Private health insurance and utilization of health services in Chlie. Applied Economics, 38, 423–439.
Kimani, J. K., Ettarh, R., Kyobutungi, C., Mberu, B., & Muindi, K. (2012). Determinants for participation in a public health insurance program among residents of urban slums in Nairobi, Kenya: Results from a cross sectional survey. BMC Health Services Research, 12(66), 2–11.
Long, S. H., & Marquis, M. S. (2002). Participation in a public insurance program: Subsidies, crowd-out, and adverse selection. Inquiry, 39(3), 243–257.
Lin, W., Liu, G. G., & Chen, G. (2009). The urban resident basic medical insurance: A landmark reform towards universal coverage in China. Health Economics, 18, 83–96.
Madden, C. W., Cheadle, A., Diehr, P., Martin, D. P., Patrick, D. L., & Skillman, S. (1995). Voluntary public health insurance for low-income families: The decision to enroll. Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law, 20(4), 955–972.
Ma, X., & Cheng, J. (2019). The influence of social insurance on wages in China: An empirical study based on Chinese Employee-Employer Matching Data. Emerging Markets Finance and Trade. https://doi.org/10.1080/1540496X.2019.1693363
Nagakane, K. (2000). The issues and the points of social security research in China. Journal of Social Security Research, 132, 2–12. (in Japanese).
Pardo, C., & Schott, W. (2012). Public versus private: Evidence on health insurance selection. Journal Health Care Finance Economics, 12, 39–61.
Shaefer, H. L., Grogan, C. M., & Pollack, H. A. (2011). Who transitions from private to public health insurance? Lessons from expansions of the state children’s health insurance program. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 22, 359–370.
Swartz, G., & Garnick, D. (2000). Adverse selection and price sensitivity when low-income people have subsidies to purchase health insurance in the private market. Inquiry, 37(1), 45–60.
Wolfe, J. R., & Goddeeris, J. H. (1991). Adverse selection, moral hazard, and wealth effects in the Medigap insurance market. Journal of Health Economics, 10, 433–459.
Zhou, Y. (2003). No-participants of medical insurance and household health care expenditure: Based on Guangdong Province Household Survey data in China. Journal of Social Security Research, 143, 80–92. (in Japanese).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Ma, X. (2022). Determinants of Medical Insurance Participation of Urban Residents. In: Public Medical Insurance Reforms in China. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-7790-8_5
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-7790-8_5
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-16-7789-2
Online ISBN: 978-981-16-7790-8
eBook Packages: Economics and FinanceEconomics and Finance (R0)