Abstract
This study utilized the concept of social right to understand factors affecting migrant workers’ health and healthcare in China. Using mixed methods, this study integrated findings from a survey of 817 migrant workers and a follow-up study of 30 intensive interviews to present an in-depth understanding of cumulative disadvantage of health and healthcare of rural-to-urban migrant workers. Our quantitative results indicated that migrant workers with no more than 5 years of working experience and having a good relationship with employers were 65% and 72.8% more likely to report good self-rated health as compared to their counterparts; those with work-related injury experience and low income were 41.6% and 53.6% less likely to report good self-rated health. Qualitative findings revealed the social contexts of the cumulative effect of the length of work experience and fear of medical cost on migrant workers’ declining health. Even though the participation rate for health insurance in China is reported to be over 99%, the lack of portability in health insurance and different reimbursement rates in health care access are structural barriers in health-seeking behaviors among Chinese migrant workers and in establishing sustainability in China’s healthcare system. This study adds to the literature by delineating the process of the unequal access to social rights in general, healthcare in particular as the major explanation for migrant workers’ poor health beyond the surface of China’s universal healthcare.
Highlights
Rural-to-urban migrant workers are known as the “floating population” in China, emphasizing the characteristics of their transient and unstable social status in urban areas.In 2019, there were roughly 300 million migrant workers in China, accounting for 30%of China’s total workforce [1]
The gender distribution is consistent with the overall trend of gender distribution among the rural-to-urban migrant workers
In-depth interviews with migrant workers had allowed us to see that the participation of new rural cooperative medical insurance system (NRCMIS) was nearly 100% after excluding the few (3 out of 30) who had already participated in the urban health insurance
Summary
Rural-to-urban migrant workers are known as the “floating population” in China, emphasizing the characteristics of their transient and unstable social status in urban areas.In 2019, there were roughly 300 million migrant workers in China, accounting for 30%of China’s total workforce [1]. Rural-to-urban migrant workers are known as the “floating population” in China, emphasizing the characteristics of their transient and unstable social status in urban areas. In 2019, there were roughly 300 million migrant workers in China, accounting for 30%. In 2003, China started the “new rural cooperative medical insurance system (NRCMIS)” [7]. As of 2013, the enrollment rate for the NRCMIS had reached over 99% in China [8]. This high participation rate is a significant achievement of China’s national healthcare. This health insurance does not ensure the freedom of movement for
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