Impact of universal medical insurance system on the accessibility of medical service supply and affordability of patients in China

Authors

Xiaolei Xiong, Huazhong University of Science and Technology
Zhiguo Zhang, Huazhong University of Science and Technology
Jing Ren, New Rural Cooperative Medical Research Center of National Health and Family Planning Commission
Jie Zhang, Health Insurance Research Association of Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security
Xiaoyun Pan, West Virginia University
Liang Zhang, Huazhong University of Science and Technology
Shiwei Gong, Huazhong University of Science and TechnologyFollow
Si Jin, Huazhong University of Science and Technology

Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5195-1194

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https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3556-8512

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Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2018

College/Unit

School of Pharmacy

Department/Program/Center

Pharmaceutical Systems and Policy

Abstract

Background

China’s universal medical insurance system (UMIS) is designed to promote social fairness through improving access to medical services and reducing out-of-pocket (OOP) costs for all Chinese. However, it is still not known whether UMIS has a significant impact on the accessibility of medical service supply and the affordability, as well as the seeking-care choice, of patients in China.

Methods

Segmented time-series regression analysis, as a powerful statistical method of interrupted time series design, was used to estimate the changes in the quantity and quality of medical service supply before and after the implementation of UMIS. The rates of catastrophic pay- ments and seeking-care choices for UMIS beneficiaries were selected to measure the affordability and medical service flow of patients after the implementation of UMIS.

Results

China’s UMIS was established in 2008. After that, the trending increase of the expenditure of the UMIS was higher than that of increase in revenue compared to previous years. Up to 2014, the UMIS had covered 97.5% of the entire population in China. After introduction of the UMIS, there were significant increases in licensed physicians, nurses, and hospital beds per 1000 individuals. In addition, hospital outpatient visits and inpatient visits per year increased compared to the pre-UMIS period. The average fatality rate of inpatients in the overall hospital and general hospital and the average fatality rate due to acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in general hospitals was significantly decreased. In contrast, no significant and prospective changes were observed in rural physicians per 1000 individuals, inpatient visits and inpatient fatality rate in the community centers and township hospitals compared to the pre-UMIS period. After 2008, the rates of catastrophic payments for UMIS inpatients at different income levels were declining at three levels of hospitals. Whichever income level, the rate of catastrophic payments for inpatients of Urban Employee’s Basic Medical Insurance was the lowest. For the low-income patients, a single hospitalization at a tertiary hospital can lead to catastrophic payments. It is needless to say what the economic burden could be if patients required multiple hospitalizations within a year. UMIS beneficiaries showed the intention of growth to seek hospitalization services in tertiary hospitals.

Conclusions

Introduction of the UMIS contributed to an increase in available medical services and the use thereof, and a decrease in fatality rate. The affordability of UMIS beneficiaries for medi- cal expenses was successfully ameliorated. The differences in patients’ affordability are mainly manifested in different medical insurance schemes and different seeking-care choices. The ability of the poor patients covered by UMIS to resist catastrophic medical pay- ments is still relatively weak. Therefore, the current UMIS should reform the insurance pay- ment model to promote the integration of medical services and the formation of a tiered treatment system. UMIS also should establish supplementary medical insurance packages for the poor.

Digital Commons Citation

Xiong, Xiaolei; Zhang, Zhiguo; Ren, Jing; Zhang, Jie; Pan, Xiaoyun; Zhang, Liang; Gong, Shiwei; and Jin, Si, "Impact of universal medical insurance system on the accessibility of medical service supply and affordability of patients in China" (2018). Faculty & Staff Scholarship. 1787.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/faculty_publications/1787

Source Citation

Xiong X, Zhang Z, Ren J, Zhang J, Pan X, Zhang L, et al. (2018) Impact of universal medical insurance system on the accessibility of medical service supply and affordability of patients in China. PLoS ONE 13(3): e0193273. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0193273

Comments

© 2018 Xiong et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.