Urban–rural disparities in healthcare financing: An analysis under China’s unified residents’ health insurance scheme

Abstract

Background: Few empirical studies have explored disparities in healthcare financing between urban and rural areas after China’s integration of health insurance schemes for residents. This study characterizes and compares disparities in healthcare financing distribution between urban and rural areas in China. Methods: Data were collected from 3918 individuals in 1800 urban households and 2609 individuals in 1200 rural households in 2018. We conducted tests of dominance on concentration curves of healthcare payments between urban and rural areas to compare urban–rural disparities in healthcare financing. Results: Disparities were found in healthcare financing equity of direct taxes, the Urban–Rural Residents’ Basic Medical Insurance (URRBMI), and out-of-pocket payments between urban and rural areas. Conclusions: Government subsidies on URRBMI need to be increasingly allocated to residents, especially in rural areas, providing sustainable pooled funding and continuation of URRBMI.