[go: up one dir, main page]

IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/chinae/v32y2024i1p96-129.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Effects of the Resident Basic Medical Insurance Reform on Household Consumption in China

Author

Listed:
  • Shuheng Yu
  • Xinxin Ma
  • Peng Zhan
Abstract
This paper investigates the causal relationship between the Urban and Rural Resident Basic Medical Insurance (URRBMI) reform and household consumption in urban China using data from the Chinese Household Income Project survey and employing combination of the propensity score matching and difference‐in‐differences methods. The results yield three conclusions. First, the reform affected both the amount and share of household consumption. Specifically, the reform led to an increase in total household consumption, encompassing both medical and nonmedical expenditures. Among these, the proportion of medical consumption increased, while the proportion of nonmedical consumption reduced. Second, the impact of the URRBMI reform varied across consumption categories within nonmedical expenditure. Specifically, consumption for education and entertainment industries are positively impacted by the URRBMI reform in terms of both quantity and proportion. Third, low‐income households benefit more from the URRBMI reform compared to middle‐ and high‐income households. The main channels through which the URRBMI reform affects household consumption were the price effect and the crowding out effect on precautionary savings.

Suggested Citation

  • Shuheng Yu & Xinxin Ma & Peng Zhan, 2024. "Effects of the Resident Basic Medical Insurance Reform on Household Consumption in China," China & World Economy, Institute of World Economics and Politics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, vol. 32(1), pages 96-129, January.
  • Handle: RePEc:bla:chinae:v:32:y:2024:i:1:p:96-129
    DOI: 10.1111/cwe.12517
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/cwe.12517
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/cwe.12517?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Lindelow, Magnus & Wagstaff, Adam, 2005. "Health shocks in China : are the poor and uninsured less protected ?," Policy Research Working Paper Series 3740, The World Bank.
    2. Xinxin Ma, 2022. "Issues of Public Medical Insurance Reform in China," Springer Books, in: Public Medical Insurance Reforms in China, chapter 0, pages 61-84, Springer.
    3. Manning, Willard G, et al, 1987. "Health Insurance and the Demand for Medical Care: Evidence from a Randomized Experiment," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 77(3), pages 251-277, June.
    4. Jonathan Gruber & Aaron Yelowitz, 1999. "Public Health Insurance and Private Savings," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 107(6), pages 1249-1274, December.
    5. Xinxin Ma, 2022. "Public Medical Insurance Reforms in China," Springer Books, Springer, number 978-981-16-7790-8, December.
    6. Chung-Ming Kuan & Chien-Liang Chen, 2013. "Effects of National Health Insurance on precautionary saving: new evidence from Taiwan," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 44(2), pages 921-943, April.
    7. Wagstaff, Adam & Pradhan, Menno, 2005. "Health insurance impacts on health and nonmedical consumption in a developing country," Policy Research Working Paper Series 3563, The World Bank.
    8. Sheu, Ji-Tian & Lu, Jui-fen Rachel, 2014. "The spillover effect of National Health Insurance on household consumption patterns: Evidence from a natural experiment in Taiwan," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 41-49.
    9. Huang, Xian & Wu, Bingxiao, 2020. "Impact of urban-rural health insurance integration on health care: Evidence from rural China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    10. Edward Kwabena Ameyaw & Raymond Elikplim Kofinti & Francis Appiah, 2017. "National health insurance subscription and maternal healthcare utilisation across mothers’ wealth status in Ghana," Health Economics Review, Springer, vol. 7(1), pages 1-15, December.
    11. Shin-Yi Chou & Jin-Tan Liu & Cliff J. Huang, 2004. "Health insurance and savings over the life cycle-a semiparametric smooth coefficient estimation," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 19(3), pages 295-322.
    12. Chou, Shin-Yi & Liu, Jin-Tan & Hammitt, James K., 2003. "National Health Insurance and precautionary saving: evidence from Taiwan," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(9-10), pages 1873-1894, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Sheu, Ji-Tian & Lu, Jui-fen Rachel, 2014. "The spillover effect of National Health Insurance on household consumption patterns: Evidence from a natural experiment in Taiwan," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 41-49.
    2. Meiling Ying & Zaichao Du, 2012. "The effects of medical insurance on durables consumption in rural China," China Agricultural Economic Review, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 4(2), pages 176-187, May.
    3. Liu, Kai, 2016. "Insuring against health shocks: Health insurance and household choices," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 16-32.
    4. Lee, Daeyong, 2016. "Effects of dependent coverage mandate on household precautionary savings: Evidence from the 2010 Affordable Care Act," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 32-37.
    5. Noghanibehambari, Hamid, 2022. "Intergenerational health effects of Medicaid," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 45(C).
    6. Bai, Chong-En & Wu, Binzhen, 2014. "Health insurance and consumption: Evidence from China’s New Cooperative Medical Scheme," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 42(2), pages 450-469.
    7. Gallagher, Emily A. & Gopalan, Radhakrishnan & Grinstein-Weiss, Michal & Sabat, Jorge, 2020. "Medicaid and household savings behavior: New evidence from tax refunds," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 136(2), pages 523-546.
    8. Hsu, Minchung, 2008. "Health Insurance, the Social Welfare System and Household Saving," MPRA Paper 21281, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 2010.
    9. Thomas Gries & Ha van Dung, 2014. "Household Savings and Productive Capital Formation in Rural Vietnam: Insurance vs. Social Network," Working Papers CIE 81, Paderborn University, CIE Center for International Economics.
    10. Chung-Ming Kuan & Chien-Liang Chen, 2013. "Effects of National Health Insurance on precautionary saving: new evidence from Taiwan," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 44(2), pages 921-943, April.
    11. Diana Cheung & Jean-Pierre Laffargue & Ysaline Padieu, 2016. "Insurance of Household Risks and the Rebalancing of the Chinese Economy: Health Insurance, Health Expenses and Household Savings," Pacific Economic Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(3), pages 381-412, August.
    12. Joan Costa‐Font & Edward C. Norton & Luigi Siciliani & Joan Costa‐Font & Cristina Vilaplana‐Prieto, 2017. "Does the Expansion of Public Long‐Term Care Funding Affect Saving Behaviour?," Fiscal Studies, Institute for Fiscal Studies, vol. 38, pages 417-443, September.
    13. Cheung, Diana & Padieu, Ysaline, 2015. "Heterogeneity of the Effects of Health Insurance on Household Savings: Evidence from Rural China," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 84-103.
    14. Wagstaff, Adam & Yu, Shengchao, 2007. "Do health sector reforms have their intended impacts?: The World Bank's Health VIII project in Gansu province, China," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 26(3), pages 505-535, May.
    15. Clovis Kerdrain & Isabell Koske & Isabelle Wanner, 2011. "Current Account Imbalances: can Structural Reforms Help to Reduce Them?," OECD Journal: Economic Studies, OECD Publishing, vol. 2011(1), pages 1-44.
    16. Natt Hongdilokkul, 2017. "Welfare Analysis of the Universal Health Care Program in Thailand," PIER Discussion Papers 58, Puey Ungphakorn Institute for Economic Research.
    17. Lai, Mun Sim & Orsuwan, Meechai, 2009. "Examining the Impact of Taiwan's Cash Allowance Program on Private Households," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 37(7), pages 1250-1260, July.
    18. Shin-Yi Chou & Jin-Tan Liu & James Hammitt, 2006. "Households’ precautionary behaviors—the effects of the introduction of National Health Insurance in Taiwan," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 4(4), pages 395-421, December.
    19. Chou, Shin-Yi & Liu, Jin-Tan & Hammitt, James K., 2003. "National Health Insurance and precautionary saving: evidence from Taiwan," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(9-10), pages 1873-1894, September.
    20. Tran, Chung & Woodland, Alan, 2014. "Trade-offs in means tested pension design," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 72-93.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:chinae:v:32:y:2024:i:1:p:96-129. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/iwepacn.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.