On the uniform reimbursement plan for hospitalization expenses under the new rural cooperative medical system (NRCMS) in Nanjing city

Abstract

Objective To probe into the feasibility of establishing a uniform reimbursement plan for hospitalization expenses under NRCMS in Nanjing city. Methods Hospitalization expenses in 2005 for peasants under NRCMS from the sour suburb districts and county in Nanjing were sampled. Based on this study, a reimbursement ratio was designed for such peasants as classified by grades, sections and accumulated reimbursement. Results A uniform NVRMS reimbursement plan for hospitalization expenses may not be practical for all peasants in Nanjing. Yet such a plan of relative uniformity is worthy of experimenting as follows: no minimum for reimbursement;within the same expense range, reimbursement ratio may be measured and fixed accordingly among districts and county in the city, ranging 20%-70%;a uniform ceiling and reimbursement range are recommended. Conclusions A uniform city-wide plan requires by-step and planned implementations. With support from government finance, fund-raising gaps among these areas can be narrowed gradually, cutting back differences in their reimbursement plans in the end. Key words: New rural cooperative medical system; Hospitalization expense; Uniform; Re-imbursement