Effect of the New Health Care Reform on catastrophic health expenditure in households of patients with chronic diseases in Shaanxi Province: a before-and-after analysis

Abstract

BackgroundIn 2009, China officially launched the New Health Care Reform. This study aimed to measure the occurrence of catastrophic health expenditure of households with at least one member diagnosed with chronic diseases (hereafter referred to as chronic households) in Shaanxi Province before and after the reform, and explore the influence of the New Health Care Reform on catastrophic health expenditure. MethodsThe data were from the fourth and fifth National Household Health Service Surveys of Shaanxi Province. In total, 1942 chronic households in 2008 (954 in urban areas and 988 in rural areas) and 7704 households in 2013 (2870 in urban areas and 4834 in rural areas) were selected for analysis. WHO's method was used to estimate catastrophic health expenditure, which was defined as an out-of-pocket payment for health care equal to or higher than 40% of a household's capacity to pay. A multilevel logistic regression model was used to explore the influence of the New Health Care Reform on the presence of catastrophic health expenditure. We used the concentration index to measure the income-related inequality in catastrophic health expenditure. FindingsIn rural areas, the proportion of households incurring catastrophic health expenditure dropped (288 [29%] households in 2008 vs 1142 (24%) in 2013; χ2 13·517, p=0·00024). However, in urban areas, the proportion of households suffering from catastrophic health expenditure increased (183 [19%] households in 2008 vs 716 [25%] in 2013; χ2 13.235, p=0·00027). After controlling for confounding variables (eg, commercial insurance, household size, having elderly members, having children, household economic status, and age, gender, education, marital status, and employment status of household head), the random-intercept logistic regression model showed a significant interaction term between year and geographic location, implying that the influence of the New Health Care Reform on catastrophic health expenditure differed between urban and rural areas. From 2008 to 2013, the concentration index of catastrophic health expenditure in rural areas increased from −0·4572 to −0·5499 (difference −0·0927, Z −2·22, p=0·026). InterpretationOur study suggested that the implementation of the New Health Care Reform might not have been effective in reducing catastrophic health expenditure for households of patients with chronic diseases, especially in urban areas. Additionally, the income inequality of catastrophic health expenditure was greater in 2013 than in 2008 in rural areas. Although the reform resulted in higher insurance coverage and higher government expenditure in health care, the financial burden of health care on households did not necessarily improve. Further efforts to develop the current health insurance system and optimise the hierarchical health-care system are required to improve protection against catastrophic health expenditure. FundingXi'an Jiaotong University (grant number GG1K004).