New Health Insurance Study Findings Have Been Reported by Investigators at RAND (Have individual medical savings accounts accumulated meaningful…

Health & Medicine Week

New Health Insurance Study Findings Have Been Reported by Investigators at RAND (Have individual medical savings accounts accumulated meaningful balances after 10 years of enrolment? Empirical evidence from China)

By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Health & Medicine Week -- Current study results on Health Insurance have been published. According to news reporting originating from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, "To examine whether medical savings accounts in China have achieved the intended goal of promoting individual savings for medical care. Longitudinal data were obtained from one of the first Chinese cities that implemented medical savings accounts."

Our news editors obtained a quote from the research from RAND, "The sample includes 246,681 enrolees with participation of at least 10 years by the end of 2010. We conducted descriptive analyses of medical savings account balances and a series of multivariate logistic analyses of risk factors for having low medical savings account accumulation. Medical savings account accumulation was low, with 41% of the enrolees having a balance below the average cost per outpatient visit, and the proportion increased to 54% and 58% when the deductible for inpatient care at secondary and tertiary hospitals was used as the threshold, respectively. Factors associated with having low medical savings account accumulation include female, old age, below high school education, retired and having a lower salary. Medical savings accounts have not achieved the intended goal of encouraging personal savings for medical care."

According to the news editors, the research concluded: "Given the low medical savings account accumulation, China's decision-makers need to adjust policies, especially during the current healthcare reform."

For more information on this research see: Have individual medical savings accounts accumulated meaningful balances after 10 years of enrolment? Empirical evidence from China. Journal of Health Services Research & Policy, 2017;22(3):155-161. Journal of Health Services Research & Policy can be contacted at: Sage Publications Inc, 2455 Teller Rd, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320, USA (see also Health Insurance).

The news editors report that additional information may be obtained by contacting H. Yu, RAND Corp, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, United States.

Keywords for this news article include: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, North and Central America, Health Care Economics and Organizations, Asia, Risk and Prevention, Medical Savings Accounts, Finance and Investment, Personal Financing, Health Insurance, China, RAND.