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Moving towards universal health insurance in China: Performance, issues and lessons from Thailand

Li, Cheng; Yu, Xuan; Butler, James; Yiengprugsawan, Vasoontara; Yu, Min

Description

China is now in the course of implementing a new round of health system reforms. Universal health insurance coverage through the basic social medical insurance system is high on the reform agenda. This paper examines the performance of China's current social medical insurance system in terms of revenue collection, risk pooling, the benefit package, and provider payment mechanisms based on a literature review and publicly available data. On the basis of critical assessment, the paper attempts to...[Show more]

dc.contributor.authorLi, Cheng
dc.contributor.authorYu, Xuan
dc.contributor.authorButler, James
dc.contributor.authorYiengprugsawan, Vasoontara
dc.contributor.authorYu, Min
dc.date.accessioned2015-12-10T22:12:23Z
dc.identifier.issn0277-9536
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1885/49634
dc.description.abstractChina is now in the course of implementing a new round of health system reforms. Universal health insurance coverage through the basic social medical insurance system is high on the reform agenda. This paper examines the performance of China's current social medical insurance system in terms of revenue collection, risk pooling, the benefit package, and provider payment mechanisms based on a literature review and publicly available data. On the basis of critical assessment, the paper attempts to address the issues challenging China as it moves towards universal coverage. Focusing in particular on the reform experience in Thailand as it implemented universal coverage, the following policy implications for further reform in China are articulated, taking into account China's particular circumstances: firstly, the gaps in the benefit package across different schemes should be further reduced; secondly, the prevailing fee-for-service payment system needs to be transformed; thirdly, the primary health care delivery and referral system needs to be strengthened in coordination with the reform of the health insurance system; and fourthly, raising the risk pooling level and integrating fragmented insurance schemes should be long-run objectives of reform.
dc.publisherElsevier
dc.sourceSocial Science and Medicine
dc.subjectKeywords: health care; health insurance; policy implementation; policy reform; reform process; article; China; health care cost; health care delivery; health care policy; health care quality; health care system; health insurance; health program; health service; hum China; Health care financing; Health insurance; Thailand; Universal coverage
dc.titleMoving towards universal health insurance in China: Performance, issues and lessons from Thailand
dc.typeJournal article
local.description.notesImported from ARIES
local.identifier.citationvolume73
dc.date.issued2011
local.identifier.absfor111709 - Health Care Administration
local.identifier.ariespublicationu4468094xPUB189
local.type.statusPublished Version
local.contributor.affiliationLi, Cheng, College of Medicine, Biology and Environment, ANU
local.contributor.affiliationYu, Xuan, Third Military Medical University
local.contributor.affiliationButler, James, College of Medicine, Biology and Environment, ANU
local.contributor.affiliationYiengprugsawan, Vasoontara, College of Medicine, Biology and Environment, ANU
local.contributor.affiliationYu, Min, Fourth Military Medical University
local.description.embargo2037-12-31
local.bibliographicCitation.issue3
local.bibliographicCitation.startpage359
local.bibliographicCitation.lastpage66
local.identifier.doi10.1016/j.socscimed.2011.06.002
dc.date.updated2016-02-24T11:08:20Z
local.identifier.scopusID2-s2.0-79960697775
local.identifier.thomsonID000294399100003
CollectionsANU Research Publications

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