Health shocks, basic medical insurance and common prosperity: Based on the analysis of rural middle-aged and elderly groups

Abstract

Health is a major part of human welfare. The index system of common prosperity was constructed for middle-aged and elderly people in rural areas. Besides, the impart of health shocks and rural basic medical insurance on common prosperity was explored. The data for this study came from China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Survey (CHARLS) in 2013, 2015, and 2018. The finding shows that health shocks hindered the improvement of the common prosperity of the middle-aged and elderly in rural areas, among which daily activities produced the greatest negative effect. The heterogeneity analysis shows that health shocks have a stronger negative effect on the common prosperity of low-income groups than that of high-income ones. The shock of daily activity ability has the greatest influence on the middle-aged and elderly between 45 and 55 years old. However, acute health shocks have a strong negative effect on those aged above 56. The mechanism analysis shows that rural basic medical insurance can alleviate the health shocks to middle-aged and elderly people, but the effect is limited. In general, low-income groups benefit more. Therefore, China should speed up the promotion of the Healthy China Strategy and the reform of the rural basic medical insurance system, and prompt changes from an inclusive to a targeted policy to provide more precise safeguards for vulnerable groups.

A study on the impact of the number of family generations on intergenerational support for centenarians: a study in a Chinese ‘longevity city’

“…Along with improving the economic condition of families, the government should also take measures to enhance the willingness of families to bear children, which can increase the number of family generations and diminish the pressure of long‐term care for family caregivers, thus contributing to the subjective well‐being of the elderly, especially the long‐lived (centenarian) elderly. Improved economic status and more children in the family are associated with the better health status of centenarians and the lower spillover of care needs 6,36 …”

“…Improved economic status and more children in the family are associated with the better health status of centenarians and the lower spillover of care needs. 6,36 Intergenerational family support is a central component of aging, and has generated significant academic interest. In our study, the total intergenerational support score (consisting of financial, instrumental, and emotional support) for centenarians was 15 (Q1, Q3: 12, 15), with an overall high level of intergenerational support for centenarian families, which is consistent with the results of previous studies.…”

Housing conditions, cooking fuels, and health-related quality of life among rural middle-aged and elderly in northwest China: A ten-year balanced panel study

“…Its rapid urbanization process has attracted a large number of young people from rural areas to migrate to cities, resulting in middle-aged and elderly people in rural areas becoming the main left-behind population ( Wang et al, 2022 ). Due to factors such as long-term agricultural activities, physical vulnerability and insufficient protection are common in this group of middle-aged and elderly people ( Zhang et al, 2022 ).…”

The effect of urban–rural resident basic medical insurance on physical health of the rural older adult in China

“…Several scholars have stated that basic medical insurance positively affects health status (9-11), because medical insurance can reduce the price of medical services (12), offer more opportunities for medical care and higher-quality health services (13). However, other researchers have shown that basic medical insurance has little effect on the improvement of residents' health (14)(15)(16), the probable explanation lies in the fact that the current policy only focuses on the most basic issues, the finite reimbursement rates, and the limited protection for the health vulnerable population (17).…”