The impact of the New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme on the“health poverty alleviation”of rural households in China

This study investigates the impact of the New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme(NRCMS)on rural households to escape poverty.We employ the instrumental variable method,the IVProbit model,to analyze the national data from the rural-resident field survey by the China Family Panel Studies(CFPS)in 2016.Based on the large-scale data,we found that,first,the hospitalization of family members is the key factor in increasing the risk of the family falling into poverty.The NRCMS has significantly reduced the likely risk of falling into poverty.Second,the impact of the NRCMS on poverty alleviation varies among groups with different levels of income.There is no impact on the upper-middle and high-income groups;in contrast,the NRCMS has substantially improved the capacity of low-income rural families to prevent poverty due to illness,especially for the lower-middle-income group.Third,there exist significant regional differences in the impact of NRCMS on the health poverty alleviation of rural households in China.The NRCMS has successfully reduced the risk of rural households in the western region falling into poverty,simultaneously,no significant impact on those in the eastern and central regions.In order to diminish and eliminate poverty eventually and boost rural residents'capacity for income acquisition,we propose the following:raise the actual compensation ratio of the NRCMS,control the rising expense of NRCMS by promoting the payment method reform,construct the comprehensive healthcare system in the western region,strengthen the medical security for the poor in remote area,and enhance the living environment for rural residents.

Impact of the New Cooperative Medical Scheme on Health Care Service Utilization in Rural China

Using the 2000, 2004, and 2006 CHNS longitudinal survey data and econometric methods （random-effect probit regression model and DID methods）, this study conducted an empirical analysis to estimate the impact of NCMS. The major conclusions are as follows. First, predisposing factors, enabling factors, health care need factors, and lifestyle factors affect health care utilization. Second, results using DID methods indicate that NCMS did not affect health care service utilization （outpatient and inpatient） of individuals when ill, but it might increase the possibility of getting a health examination. Third, there is no difference in health care service utilization （both outpatient and inpatient） between the NCMS enrollment group and the non-enrollment group in both working age group （15-59） and the elderly group （60 and over）. Therefore, it can be said that NCMS did not affect the health care utilization in both the group. However, NCMS positively affects disease prevention behavior （visiting the hospital to receive a health examination） in the working age group, but the effect did not appear in the elderly group.

The New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme and Its Implications on Rural Labor Migration in China：Evidence from Longitudinal Surveys

In 2003, China initiated the New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme （NRCMS） in order to provide basic health care coverage for the rural population. However, the NRCMS has had a marked impact on rural-urban labor migration as its current regulations present a barrier for cross-region participation in the NRCMS, and its reimbursement system is biased when the enrollees seek medical services outside their location of hukou, a household registration system in China. This paper performs a variety of empirical tests on a panel data set from the China Health and Nutrition Survey （CHNS） to study how the NRCMS affects rural residents＇ work location choices. We observed a ＂locking effect＂ on potential rural migrant workers and a ＂pulling effect＂ on existing ones. According to the results, the NRCMS has discouraged rural residents from working outside their location of hukou, lowering the probability of relocation by 3.52 percent. Meanwhile, the NRCMS system actually encourages existing migrant workers to return home. This paper concludes that the NRCMS has to some extent restrained the free flow of the labor force and exacerbated the migrant worker shortage.

Effects of New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme on Medical Service Utilization and Medical Expense Control of Inpatients： A 3-year Empirical Study of Hainan Province in China

Background： The New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme （NCMS） has been further adjusted and optimized to reduce the financial burden of rural residents and to achieve universal coverage for them. In this study, we aimed to explore the impact of NCMS on medical service utilization and medical expense of inpatients in recent years. Methods： The research data of Hainan Province were extracted from the Chinese NCMS platform from 2012 to 2014. Detailed information included total expenditure, average inpatients costs, average out-of-pocket payments, actual reimbursement rate, and average annual growth rate of the above indicators. Descriptive analysis was used to gauge the effects of NCMS. Results： In the utilization of medical services, NCMS inpatients in tertiary hospital decreased from 25.49% in 2012 to 20.39% in 2014, inpatients in county hospitals increased from 39.49% to 55.92%, simultaneously. The total expenditure in county hospitals rose steadily from 28.46% to 46.66%, meanwhile, the total expenditure in tertiary hospitals fell from 60.44% to 44.51%.The average out-of-pocket costs of rural inpatients remained stable over the years. Furthermore, the compensation fund ofNCMS inpatients grew significantly. The actual inpatient reimbursement rate at township health centers increased from 76.93% to 84.04%. Meanwhile, the rate at county hospitals and tertiary hospitals increased slightly from 59.37% and 46.10% to 61.25% and 47.71%, respectively. Conclusions： With the improvement of the reimbursement ability, especially after the new health care reform in 2009, the NCMS have been playing a prominent role in alleviating the economic burden of farmers＇ medical treatment. Meanwhile, more patients go to primary hospitals than tertiary hospitals, and the capability of primary hospitals has been greatly improved.

The impact of increased reimbursement rates under the new cooperative medical scheme on the financial burden of tuberculosis patients

Background:Tuberculosis(TB)is still a major public health problem in China.To scale up TB control,an innovative programme entitled the'China-Gates Foundation Collaboration on TB Control in China was initiated in 2009.During the second phase of the project,a policy of increased reimbursement rates under the New Cooperative Medical Scheme(NCMS)was implemented.In this paper,we aim to explore how this reform affects the financial burden on TB patients through comparison with baseline data.Methods:In two cross-sectional surveys,quantitative data were collected before(January 2010 to December 2012)and after(April 2014 to June 2015)the intervention in the existing NCMS routine data system.Information on all 313 TB inpatients,among which 117 inpatients in the project was collected.Qualitative data collection included 11 focus group discussions.Three main indicators,non-reimbursable expenses rate(NER),effective reimbursement rate(ERR),and out-of-pocket payment(OOP)as a percentage of per capita household income,were used to measure the impact of intervention by comprising post-intervention data with baseline data.The quantitative data were analysed by descriptive analysis and non-parametric tests(Mann-Whitney U test)using SPSS 22.0,and qualitative data were subjected to thematic framework analysis using NvivolO.Results:The nominal reimbursement rates for inpatient care were no less than 80%for services within the package.Total inpatient expenses greatly increased,with an average growth rate of 11.3%.For all TB inpatients,the ERR for inpatient care increased from 52 to 66%.Compared with inpatients outside the project,for inpatients covered by the new policy,the ERR was higher(78%),and OOP showed a sharper decline.In addition,their financial burden decreased significantly.Conclusions:Although the nominal reimbursement rates for inpatient care of TB patients greatly increased under the new reimbursement policy,inpatient OOP expenditure was still a major financial problem for patients.Limited diagnosis and treatment options in county general hospitals and inadequate implementation of the new policy resulted in higher inpatient expenditures and limited reimbursement.Comprehensive control models are needed to effeaively decrease the financial burden on all TB patients.

Optimized Reimbursement Scheme of China's New Cooperative Medical System Using Monte Carlo Simulation

China＇s Rural Cooperative Medical System collapsed alongside communal farming at the end of the Maoist period in 1976, leaving most farmers vulnerable[1]. In rural areas, where 80% of people have been without health insurance of any kind, illness has emerged as a leading cause of poverty[24]. To address the poor state of health care among the rural population, in 2003 the Chinese government launched the New Rural Cooperative Medical System （NCMS）,