The impact of health insurance on poverty among rural older adults: an evidence from nine counties of western China

Abstract

Background Older adults are more prone to various diseases. Health insurance becomes effective mechanism to relieve financial burden when the insured is sick. In China, most older adults live in the countryside, and New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme is a kind of health insurance system in rural areas. The relationship between New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme and financial burden due to health expenditure of older adults in China was investigated. This paper aims at the impact of New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme on the poverty among rural older adults. Methods This study employs Probit model and Tobit model to assess the impact of New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme on alleviating poverty among rural older adults based on a survey in nine representative counties in western China. Results The findings show that diseases have significantly negative impact on rural elderly poverty. New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme has impact on alleviating of the health-payment poverty due to catastrophic health expenditure, but the impact is limited. The impact of health insurance on poverty alleviation is greater for men, older adults aged between 60 to 69 and households in in economically poorer area than their counterparts. Conclusions This study show the relationship between New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme and catastrophic health expenditure of older adults in China. The results draw policy attention to introduce different reimbursement expense ratios for different groups to alleviate them from poverty based on more comprehensive insurance packages.

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Association of self-perceived income status with psychological distress and subjective well-being: a cross-sectional study among older adults in India

“…Similarly in China it was found that in 2008 about 15% of older adults consumed at levels below the World Bank's $1.25/day international poverty line [54]. Another study in China revealed that about 33% of older adults were identified as falling in poverty [55]. The present study found that the self-perceived income status is more associated with mental health conditions than any other single indicator of SES.…”

The Impact of Multidimensional Health Levels on Rural Poverty: Evidence from Rural China

“…It also demonstrates that poor health and poverty work through multiple pathways, providing a guide on how to break the health–poverty cycle. Moreover, the level of health varies from province to province [ 48 , 49 ]. Therefore, while each has its own focus, improving individual health and system health should be performed simultaneously to alleviate rural poverty effectively.…”

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