社会网络对家庭灾难性医疗支出风险的影响

The Impact of Social Networks on Family Catastrophic Medical Expenditure Risk

本文利用2016年中国家庭追踪调查数据,考察了社会网络对我国家庭灾难性医疗支出风险的直接和间接影响。研究发现,社会网络对我国家庭灾难性医疗支出风险的直接效应显著为负,但间接影响有限。具体而言,社会网络可以通过提供情感支持,影响人们的保健行为和生活方式,改善身心健康,降低灾难性医疗支出风险。此外,社会网络有信息共享的作用,可以降低信息的搜寻成本和甄别成本,促进人们购买商业医疗保险,但商业医疗保险对降低灾难性医疗支出风险的作用有限。社会网络和商业医疗保险对灾难性医疗支出风险的影响在我国城乡家庭存在差异,社会网络的作用在农村地区更明显,而在城镇地区,商业医疗保险会逐渐替代社会网络发挥作用,保障家庭灾难性医疗支出风险。为此,本文提出了完善医疗保障制度和推进构建良好的社会关系等政策建议。

Using Chinese family tracing survey data in 2016,this paper examines the direct and indirect effects of social networks on family catastrophic medical expenditure risk.Studies have shown that the direct effect of social network on family catastrophic medical expenditure risk in China is significantly negative,but the indirect effect is limited.Specifically speaking,social networks can improve physical and mental health and reduce the family catastrophic medical expenditure risk by providing emotional support and affecting people's health behavior and lifestyle.In addition,social network has the role of information sharing,which can reduce the searching and screening costs.Therefore,it can promote people to buy commercial medical insurance.However,the role of commercial medical insurance in reducing the family catastrophic medical expenditure risk is limited.What's more,there are differences between urban and rural families.The role of social network is more obvious in rural areas.In urban areas,commercial medical insurance will gradually replace social network to protect the family catastrophic medical expenditure risk.To this end,this paper proposes policy recommendations,such as improving the medical security system and promoting the establishment of good social relations.