University of Manchester Reports Findings in Health Planning and Management (Analysing the impact of private health insurance on inequities in health care utilization: a longitudinal study from China): Health and Medicine – Health Planning and Management

2021 NOV 25 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- New research on Health and Medicine - Health Planning and Management is the subject of a report. According to news reporting originating from Manchester, United Kingdom, by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, “Since the early 2000s, Chinese government has sought to encourage the growth of private health insurance (PHI) while simultaneously expanding the breadth of coverage in its social health insurance (SHI) system. This paper examines how the prevalence of PHI has changed during this period and the extent to which PHI contributed to the growth of horizontal and geographical inequities with a focus on healthcare utilization.”

Financial support for this research came from China Scholarship Council/University of Edinburgh Joint Scholarship.

Our news editors obtained a quote from the research from the University of Manchester, “National data from China Health and Nutrition Survey between 2000 and 2015 were analysed using a multilevel modelling approach. The analysis investigated the impact of SHI membership as related to PHI uptake, PHI enrolees’ utilization of health services and out-of-pocket (OOP) expenses. This study found being covered by an SHI scheme reduced the uptake of PHI between 2004 and 2015. Having PHI caused an increase in utilizing outpatient care but did not affect OOP expenses. Coverage prevalence of PHI in a residential community was positively associated with the average level of healthcare utilization. Coverage prevalence of PHI and its effects on healthcare utilization varied geographically. The findings suggest that expanding the role of PHI was not effective without clear support from government policy.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “Furthermore, the expansion of PHI may cause an increase in horizontal and geographical inequities in healthcare utilization.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: Analysing the impact of private health insurance on inequities in health care utilization: a longitudinal study from China. Health Policy and Planning, 2021;36(10):1593-1604. Health Policy and Planning can be contacted at: Oxford Univ Press, Great Clarendon St, Oxford OX2 6DP, England. (Oxford University Press - http://www.oup.com/; Health Policy and Planning - heapol.oxfordjournals.org)

The news editors report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Angelo Ercia, Division of Informatics, Imaging & Data Sciences, School of Health Sciences, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, UK.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1093/heapol/czab107. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

Publisher contact information for the journal Health Policy and Planning is: Oxford Univ Press, Great Clarendon St, Oxford OX2 6DP, England.

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