Urban Resident Medical Insurance Research Articles

Obstetric service demand is the main health need of the Vietnamese population in Guangxi, China: A cross-sectional study.

China has become an emerging destination for international migration, especially in some Association of South East Asian Nations countries, but the situation of migrants seeking medical care in China remains unclear. A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted in a hospital in Chongzuo, which provides medical services for foreigners, to investigate the situation of Vietnamese people seeking health care in Guangxi, China. Vietnamese patients who visited the hospital between 2018 and 2020 were included in the study. Demographic characteristics, clinical characteristics, characteristics of payment for medical costs, and characteristics of hospitalization were compared between outpatients and inpatients. In total, 778 Vietnamese outpatients and 173 inpatients were included in this study. The percentages of female outpatients and inpatients were 93.44% and 88.44% (χ2 = 5.133, P = .023), respectively. Approximately 30% of outpatients and 47% of inpatients visited the hospital due to obstetric needs. The proportions of outpatients with basic medical insurance for urban residents, basic medical insurance for urban employees, and new cooperative medical schemes were 28.02%, 3.21%, and 2.31%, respectively. In comparison, the proportion of inpatients with the above 3 types of medical insurance was 16.76%, 1.73%, and 2.31%, respectively. The proportion of different payments for medical costs between outpatients and inpatients were significantly different (χ2 = 24.404, P < .01). Middle-aged Vietnamese females in Guangxi, China, may have much greater healthcare needs. Their main medical demand is for obstetric services. Measurements should be taken to improve the health services targeting Vietnamese female, but the legitimacy of Vietnamese in Guangxi is a major prerequisite for them to access more and better healthcare services.

Analysis of Influencing Factors and Demand Forecast of Single Disease Demand in Chinese Public Hospitals

Objectives: In this study, we examine influencing factors and demand forecast of single disease demand in Chinese public hospitals. Methods: We conducted a preliminary screening of the literature, according to a literature search strategy and inclusion and exclusion criteria. Related Chinese and English articles between 2000 and 2022 were searched in the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang, PubMed, and Elsevier databases and Google Scholar. The Jadad literature scoring mechanism was used, and Stata/SE version 12.0 software was used to perform a meta-analysis of the effect size of literature statistics. The outcome index was the 2-week visit rate. Results: We included 13 articles for meta-analysis. Their combined effect size and 95% confidence interval for chronic disease, age, gender, economic factors, medical insurance form and education level were 3.43 (2.26, 5.51), 2.53 (1.74, 3.68), 1.3 (1.16, 1.46), 2.31 (1.16, 4.61), 3.2 (2.98, 3.45) and 1.35 (1.14, 1.6), respectively. Results revealed that for patients with chronic diseases, those>60 years of age and families with better economic conditions and higher levels of education correlated with a higher demand for medical services among families with medical insurance for urban residents. Conclusion: Using meta-analysis, we analyzed the factors that affect the demand for medical services in China. From demographic and economic factors, national medical insurance policies and residents' health status, we analyzed the relationship between patients with a single disease and other factors. With respect to the influence of medical service demand, relevant departments should take effective measures to increase medical service demand according to the influencing factor of the 2-week visit rate and simultaneously provide scientific theoretical guidance for medical reform.

Health status and its influencing factors among the elderly dwelling in pension institutions providing integrated medication in Qingdao city

Objective To explore self-rated health and its influencing factors among the elderly in pension institutions providing integrated medication in Qingdao city, Shandong province, and to provide evidences for improving health status of the elderly. Methods With stratified random sampling, totally 2 040 dwellers aged ≥ 60 years were recruited in 43 pension institutions providing integrated medication in 7 districts of Qingdao city and a face-to-face interview was conducted among the elderly with a self-designed questionnaire and Activity of Daily Living (ADL) Scale from June 2017 to August 2018. Results Good self-rated health was reported by 687 (36.03%) of the 1 907 respondents with valid information. The results of unconditional multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that the elderly without an extremely poor economic condition, with rural household registration, having the medical insurance other than medical insurance for urban/rural residents and for urban workers, and being capable to pay medical expenses were more likely to report a good self-rated health; however, the elderly with the education of high school and above, being professionals, participating in medical insurance for urban residents, and with impaired ADL were less likely to report a good self-rated health. Conclusion Among the elderly dwelling in pension institutions providing integrated medication in Qingdao city, the self-rated health is at a low level and mainly influenced by education, occupation, economic condition, type of household registration, type of medical insurance, affordability of medical expenses, and ADL level.

Analysis of reimbursement policy for outpatient chronic diseases in basic medical insurance for urban residents in China provincial capitals

Analysis of reimbursement policy for outpatient chronic diseases in basic medical insurance for urban residents in China provincial capitals

The Risk Factors for Chinese Medical Economic Burden of Aging: A Cross-Sectional Study Based on Guangdong Province.

Background The proportion of aging in China is increasing, which needs more healthcare recourses. To analyze the risk factors of the direct medical economic burden of aging in China and provide the strategies to control the cost of treatment, the information was collected based on Guangdong Province's regular health expenditure accounting data collection plan. Methods The multiple linear regression models were used to explore the risk factors of inpatient expenses of the elderly in Guangdong province. Results The results revealed that hospital day, age, male patients, and patients who suffer from malignant tumors are key factors to increase the direct medical economic burden of aging. Moreover, the medical insurance for urban employees can reduce the medical economic burden, comparing with the medical insurance for urban residents. Conclusions The basic medical insurance system and the serious illness insurance system should be improved. While striving to speed up the development of regional economy, the government should pay attention to the construction of basic medical institutions in economically backward areas, increase the allocation of health human resources, and facilitate the masses to seek medical treatment nearby.

The Effect of China's Health Insurance on the Labor Supply of Middle-aged and Elderly Farmers.

Social security primarily improves residents’ welfare and ensures labor market sustainability. This study presents a new view of the association between health insurance and labor supply by using data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. The results reveal that the health insurance system has a remarkable effect on labor supply. The health insurance coverage tends to encourage middle-aged and elderly farmers to increase their farm labor participation rate and working time, especially for their household agricultural labor participation rate and working time. However, it also reduces the non-farm labor participation rate and working time. Different types of health insurance have diverse effects on labor supply. The new cooperative medical insurance has a stronger pull-back effect. It encourages the middle-aged and elderly farmers to leave the urban non-farm sector and transfer to rural areas to engage in their household agricultural work. The urban employee medical insurance encourages farmers to reduce self-employed labor supply and increase employed work. The supplemental health insurance tends to reduce the labor supply of farm employed and non-farm labor supply, but improve the farm labor supply. Furthermore, urban resident medical insurance and government medical insurance encourage farmers to quit directly from the labor market. In conclusion, the health insurance system is facilitating change in the labor market. Policy-makers should pay full attention to such impacts while improving the health insurance system’s design and operation in China.

Life Satisfaction of Middle-Aged and Older Chinese: The Role of Health and Health Insurance

The Chinese government has launched a series of health reforms to establish universal health insurance coverage, particularly for vulnerable groups, including middle-aged and older adults. However, the current public health insurance system is highly fragmented, consisting of different programs with different levels of premiums and benefits. We analyse whether the universal health insurance system increases the life satisfaction of middle-aged and older Chinese people and to what extent the type of health insurance affects the life satisfaction of this group. Our study is based on data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, a nationally representative longitudinal survey of Chinese aged 45 and above, in 2011, 2013, and 2015. We find that the life satisfaction of middle-aged and older adults does not depend on having any health insurance coverage but varies with the type of health insurance coverage, controlling for potential confounding variables such as health status, occupation, hukou status, and other demographic variables. Individuals covered by the most generous program, the Government Medical Insurance, reported a higher life satisfaction. In comparison, individuals covered by the Urban Employee Medical Insurance, the Urban Resident Medical Insurance, and the New Rural Cooperative Scheme reported a lower life satisfaction by 0.155, 0.106, and 0.112 standard deviations, respectively. Our results suggest that establishing a more equitable health insurance system should be the next step in health reforms in China.

Life Satisfaction of Older Chinese: The Role of Health and Health Insurance

The Chinese government has launched a series of health reforms to establish universal health insurance coverage, particularly for vulnerable groups, including older adults. However, the current public health insurance system is highly fragmented, consisting of different programs with different levels of premiums and benefits. We analyse whether the universal health insurance system increases the life satisfaction of middle-aged and older Chinese people and to what extent the type of health insurance affects the life satisfaction of this group. Our study is based on data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, a nationally representative longitudinal survey of Chinese aged 45 and above, in 2011, 2013, and 2015. We find that the life satisfaction of middle-aged and older adults does not depend on having any health insurance coverage but varies with the type of health insurance coverage, controlling for potential confounding variables such as health status, occupation, hukou status, education, and other demographic variables. Individuals covered by the most generous program, the Government Medical Insurance, reported a higher life satisfaction. In comparison, individuals covered by the Urban Employee Medical Insurance, the Urban Resident Medical Insurance, and the New Rural Cooperative Scheme reported a lower life satisfaction by 0.155, 0.106, and 0.112 standard deviations, respectively. Our results suggest that establishing a more equitable health insurance system should be the next step in health reforms in China.

Declining socioeconomic inequalities in hospital care use and case fatality rates for stroke and ischaemic heart disease in China during 2009–16: a prospective study of 0·5 million adults

BackgroundChina initiated major health-care reforms in 2009 to provide health-care coverage for all by 2020. Little is known about their long-term effect on inequalities in health-care use and outcomes across socioeconomic groups. We aimed to examine trends in hospital care use and case fatality rates for stroke and ischaemic heart disease over 8 years during the implementation of the reforms, overall and by socioeconomic status. MethodsIn this prospective study, we enrolled adults (30–79 years) from ten regions in China, with linkage to mortality and hospitalisation records. We used generalised linear models to estimate trends in annual hospitalisation rates, 28-day case fatality rates, and average length of stay for stroke, ischaemic heart disease, and any cause. FindingsDuring 2009–16, 794 824 hospital admissions (74 313 for stroke, 69 446 for ischaemic heart disease) were recorded among 505 995 participants. After adjustment for socioeconomic, lifestyle, and previous disease factors, hospitalisation rates increased by about 5% annually for stroke, ischaemic heart disease, and any cause. Higher socioeconomic groups had higher hospitalisation rates, but the annual increases were 2-fold higher in lower socioeconomic groups. Annual increases were higher in rural than urban areas (6·7% vs 3·7% for stroke; 10·0% vs 3·9% for ischaemic heart disease; both p<0·0001), in lower than higher education groups (9·0% vs 3·5% for stroke; 8·6% vs 3·3% for ischaemic heart disease; both p<0·0001), and in lower than higher income groups (8·5% vs 3·3% for stroke; 9·7% vs 5·3% for ischaemic heart disease; both p<0·0001). The annual increases in hospitalisation rates were higher for individuals in the rural or urban resident medical insurance scheme than for those enrolled in the urban employee scheme (6·1% vs 2·8% for stroke, 8·9% vs 3·5% for ischaemic heart disease; both p<0·0001). The case fatality rates for stroke and ischaemic heart disease were higher in lower socioeconomic groups, but differences decreased over time. Average length of stay decreased by about 2% annually for stroke, ischaemic heart disease, and any cause in all socioeconomic groups. InterpretationDifferences in hospital admission rates for stroke and ischaemic heart disease between socioeconomic groups have decreased since the initiation of health-care reforms in China in 2009, but additional strategies are needed to further reduce socioeconomic inequalities in health-care use and outcomes. FundingWellcome Trust, UK Medical Research Council, British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK, Kadoorie Charitable Foundation, China, Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, and Chinese National Natural Science Foundation.

Association between socioeconomic status and prognosis after ischemic stroke in South China

ABSTRACTBackground: Previous studies have conflicting results on the association between socioeconomic status and stroke outcomes. Thus, this study aimed to investigate whether socioeconomic status is associated with the prognosis of ischemic stroke in Guangzhou, South China.Methods: A total of 622 patients with ischemic stroke who were admitted in the neurology department of five general hospitals in Guangzhou from May 2014 to October 2014 were included in the study. Socioeconomic status was measured based on education, income, caregiver, and insurance. The modified Rankin scale was used to evaluate the two years prognosis of patients with stroke. A multivariate logistic regression model was performed to determine the association between socioeconomic status and ischemic stroke prognosis.Results: In 2 years follow-up, 542 ischemic stroke patients were interviewed by telephone. Age ranged from 31 to 96 years, 65.5% of the patients were male. 33.9% of patients with ischemic stroke had a poor prognosis. After adjustment for age, sex, cardiovascular disease, behavior lifestyle, and severity of stroke, odds ratio for poor prognosis in patients with low income was 1.84 (95%CI 1.05–3.22), family caregiver 3.19 (95%CI 1.05–9.70), and no insurance 1.68 (95%CI 1.02–2.77).Conclusions: Patients with low income, family caregiver, and no insurance have a poorer prognosis after ischemic stroke that can be partly explained by intermediate variable in the patients’ demographic characteristics, cardiovascular disease, behavior lifestyle, and stroke severity.Abbreviations: DALYs: disability-adjusted life years; SES: socioeconomic status; FMC: free medical care; MIUR: medical insurance for urban residents; MIUE: medical insurance for urban employees; NCMS: new rural cooperative medical scheme ; NIHSS: National Institute of Health Stroke Scale ; mRS: modified Rankin scale; OR: odds ratios; CI: confidence interval

Gap analysis on hospitalized health service utilization in floating population covered by different medical insurances: case study from Jiangsu Province, China

ObjectiveBy analyzing the gap of hospitalization service among floating population covered by different medical insurance in Jiangsu Province, this paper aimed to understand the current situation of hospitalized health service utilization (HHSU) among floating population, and to provide policy suggestions for improving HHSU of floating population with different health insurance.MethodsThe data of this study were obtained from “the National Dynamic Monitoring Survey of Floating Population in 2014”. A total of 12,000 samples of floating population in Jiangsu Province were selected. 57.15% for men and 42.85% for women; 46.95% for those under 30 years old, 39.67% for 30 to 45 years old, 13.38% for over the age of forty-five. Using descriptive statistical analysis, chi-square test, exploratory factor analysis, logistic regression and stepwise multiple linear regression, the paper analyzed the difference of HHSU of floating population with different medical insurance in 2014. This study divided basic medical insurance into 3 categories: MIUE (Medical Insurance of Urban Employee), other medical insurances (including new rural cooperative medical system and the medical insurance for urban residents) and no medical insurance.ResultsThe hospitalization rate of floating population with MIUE (89.95%) was higher than the rate of floating population with other medical insurances (74.76%) and the gap is 15.19%. It was also higher than the rate of floating population with no medical insurance (67.57%) and the gap is 22.38%. (chi-square = 24.958, p = 0.000). 15.34% of floating population with MIUE spent more than 1600 dollars during hospitalization. It was lower than floating population with other medical insurances (16.19%) and no medical insurance (21.62%). The gaps respectively were 0.85 and 6.28% (chi-square = 10.000, p = 0.040). There existed significant differences among hospitalization medical expenses that floating population with different basic medical insurances spent. (chi-square = 225.206, p = 0.000) The type of basic medical insurance had statistical significance on whether the patients were hospitalized (p = 0.003) and whether they were hospitalized (p = 0.014). Logistic regression analysis results showed that “Social structure” (Education, Hukou, Insurance status and Work status) were significantly associated with Should be hospitalized but not and “Education” were significantly associated with Inpatient facilities selection. The stepwise multiple linear regression results presented that “Demography” and “Floating area” influenced In-hospital medical cost and “Social structure” and “Gender” influenced Reimbursement of in-hospital medical cost.ConclusionMedical insurance type affects the hospitalization health service utilization of floating population, including Should be hospitalized but not and Reimbursement of in-hospital medical cost.

Study of satisfaction and influencing factors of medical insurance for urban residents′ in Taiyuan city

Objective To learn the satisfaction and influencing factors of medical insurance for urban residents in Taiyuan city. Methods The multi-stage random sampling method was used to survey the satisfaction of medical insurance for urban residents so covered in 4 districts of Taiyuan city.The questionnaire covered basic personal information, and comments of the residents on the three dimensions of medical insurance regarding the stakeholders.The data solicited were subject to descriptive analysis, Kruskal-Wallis test and ordered multi-class logistic regression analysis. Results The rate of overall satisfaction of urban residents′ medical insurance in Taiyuan city was 44.6%, that of average satisfaction was 48.3%, and that of dissatisfaction was 7.1%.For residents of different family size and physical health status, the differences of their satisfaction were statistically different(P 1). Conclusions The rate of overall satisfaction of medical insurance by urban residents in Taiyuan city is low.To improve their satisfaction, it is important to increase the proportion of reimbursement, expand the scope of reimbursement for diagnosis and treatment along with drugs, simplify the reimbursement procedures, and improve the service attitude of the service agencies. Key words: Urban residents; Medical insurance; Satisfactory; Influencing factors; Taiyuan city

Factors associated with the inter-facility transfer of inpatients in Sichuan province, China

BackgroundThe overuse of tertiary hospitals and underuse of primary care facilities has been one of the key reasons leading to fast health expenditure increase and health service utilization inequity in China. Recent health care reform in China tries to enforce a patient transfer system to make the health services utilization more efficient. This study examined the pattern and associated factors of inter-facility transfer of inpatients in Sichuan province of Western China.MethodsPatient discharge records (n = 1,490,695) from 604 general hospitals during the period of April to June 2015 in Sichuan were extracted from the front page of the medical records system with individual information on demographics, insurance coverage, diagnoses, hospitals admitted and discharge type. We calculated the percentage of inpatients transferring to other health facilities, the Inter-Facility Transfer Rate (IFTR) with adjustment for Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI). Multi-level logistic regression models were established to identify factors associated with IFTRs.ResultsA small number of tertiary hospitals (n = 75, 12.41%) shared 51.71% (n = 770,823) of all admitted cases while a large number of primary/unrated hospitals (n = 321, 53.15%) shared only 8.15%. The overall CCI-adjusted IFTR was 2.08% with 3.73% among secondary hospitals, 1.87% among tertiary hospitals and 1.30% among primary/unrated hospitals. Uninsured patients (OR = 1.13) and those with a lower level of insurance entitlements (OR = 1.12 for the New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme and the Basic Medical Insurance for Urban Residents) were more likely to experience inter-facility transfer than those with a higher level of insurance entitlements (the Basic Medical Insurance for Urban Employees).ConclusionThe level of IFTR in general hospitals in Sichuan is low, which is associated with the level of hospitals and insurance entitlements. Further studies are needed to better understand how patients and health care providers respond to different insurance policies and make decisions on inter-facility transfer.

Social health insurance, healthcare utilization, and costs in middle-aged and elderly community-dwelling adults in China

BackgroundAlthough many studies have analyzed health insurance worldwide, most focus on whole populations rather than specific vulnerable groups. There is a lack of studies that compare different schemes. This paper evaluates the impact of different types of social health insurance and other associated factors on healthcare utilization and costs among middle-aged and elderly Chinese adults.MethodsData were obtained from a nationally representative middle-aged and elderly household survey, the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, which was conducted in 2015. Middle-aged and elderly are defined as people who are ≥45 years. Descriptive statistics were used to show the prevalence of each variable. Both logistic and multiple linear regression models were used to evaluate the association between healthcare utilization/healthcare costs and health insurance in addition to other related factors.ResultsAlthough the rapid expansion of social health insurance coverage has significantly improved the healthcare utilization among middle-aged and elderly adults, the difference between three schemes is large. Urban Employee Medical Insurance (UEMI) has had a greater effect in improving healthcare utilization than New Cooperative Medical Insurance (NCMI) or Urban Resident Medical Insurance (URMI). Unification of health insurance programs and optimization of health resource allocations should be a practical way to alleviate healthcare utilization inequality across schemes. People having social health insurance spend more on total and out-of-pocket (OOP) healthcare costs than people not covered by social health insurance, suggesting that enrollment in social health insurance induces significant increases in both total and OOP healthcare expenses. UEMI for the urban employed has relatively higher funding criteria and reimbursement rate, which makes the greatest extent to induce increase in healthcare costs. Some demographic or socioeconomic factors significantly affect healthcare utilization and costs among middle-aged and elderly adults.ConclusionOur study demonstrates the differences in healthcare utilization and costs between those with and without social health insurance and between those with different health insurance schemes. Policy efforts should further focus on adjusting social health insurance and optimizing healthcare resource allocation in order to enhance effective utilization of healthcare services and control cost increases among middle-aged and elderly adults.

Public views towards community health and hospital-based outpatient services and their utilisation in Zhejiang, China: a mixed methods study

ObjectiveChina is engaged in promoting community health services (CHS) nationwide. This study examines the public’s views towards CHS and their utilisation of community-based and hospital-based outpatient services.DesignA mixed methods study...

Patient Satisfaction with Hospital Inpatient Care: Effects of Trust, Medical Insurance and Perceived Quality of Care.

ObjectiveDeteriorations in the patient-provider relationship in China have attracted increasing attention in the international community. This study aims to explore the role of trust in patient satisfaction with hospital inpatient care, and how patient-provider trust is shaped from the perspectives of both patients and providers.MethodsWe adopted a mixed methods approach comprising a multivariate logistic regression model using secondary data (1200 people with inpatient experiences over the past year) from the fifth National Health Service Survey (NHSS, 2013) in Heilongjiang Province to determine the associations between patient satisfaction and trust, financial burden and perceived quality of care, followed by in-depth interviews with 62 conveniently selected key informants (27 from health and 35 from non-health sectors). A thematic analysis established a conceptual framework to explain deteriorating patient-provider relationships.FindingsAbout 24% of respondents reported being dissatisfied with hospital inpatient care. The logistic regression model indicated that patient satisfaction was positively associated with higher level of trust (OR = 14.995), lower levels of hospital medical expenditure (OR = 5.736–1.829 as compared with the highest quintile of hospital expenditure), good staff attitude (OR = 3.155) as well as good ward environment (OR = 2.361). But patient satisfaction was negatively associated with medical insurance for urban residents and other insurance status (OR = 0.215–0.357 as compared with medical insurance for urban employees). The qualitative analysis showed that patient trust—the most significant predictor of patient satisfaction—is shaped by perceived high quality of service delivery, empathic and caring interpersonal interactions, and a better designed medical insurance that provides stronger financial protection and enables more equitable access to health care.ConclusionAt the core of high levels of patient dissatisfaction with hospital care is the lack of trust. The current health care system reform in China has yet to address the fundamental problems embedded in the system that caused distrust. A singular focus on doctor-patient inter-personal interactions will not offer a successful solution to the deteriorated patient-provider relationships unless a systems approach to accountability is put into place involving all stakeholders.

Integration Study of Shanghai Basic Medical Insurance System for Urban and Rural Residents

At present, Shanghai has basicallyformed basic medical insurance system consisting of basic medical insurance forurban workers, basic medical insurance for urban residents, the new rural cooperativemedical insurance, which covers urban employed population, the urban working population,rural population. Urban-rural system split and run independently, which is not conduciveto social justice, thus narrow the gap between urban and rural areas and strengthenthe integration of the system. In this paper, through the comparison of Shanghai’sbasic medical insurance for urban residents and new rural cooperative medical insurancein funding criteria and medical benefit level and introducing Jiaxing mode, Chengdumode and Dongguan mode, thus put forward the integration solution of Shanghai’sbasic medical insurance system for urban and rural residents.

Comparison study of the implementations of BURMI and UMA in Beijing， Shanghai，

After the market economic reform in China,the planned-economy based Government Insurance Program and Labor Insurance Program were no longer feasible,replaced by the Basic Urban Labor Medical Insurance Program (BULMI) in the 1990s.Yet BULMI is not a universal social insurance program covering the whole city population,it rules out numerous urban unemployment and jobless people,the major composition of China urban poor.In a considerable period of time,those need medical assistance the most received the least policy benefits.This gap was initially fixed at 2007,after enacting the Basic Urban Resident Medical Insurance Program (BURMI) and Urban Medical Assistance Program (UMA).This article is based on a comparison study of the implementations of BURMI and UMA in Beijing,Shanghai,and Guangzhou,discussing the internal logic of the China healthcare oolicv development. Key words: Basic Urban Labor Medical Insurance; Besic Urban Resident Medical Insurance; Urban Medical Assistance; Urban Resident Minimum Living Standard; Urban Low-Income

Analysis of financialburden of hypertension patients in three cities

：Objective To measure thefinancial burden incurred by hypertension to urban patients in Beijing, Nanjing andHangzhou cities. Methods Two communities were sampled from the three cities randomly, and300 hypertension patients were sampled randomly from hypertension control files in eachcommunity for questionnaire survey. Results Health expenditure of the families withhypertension patients accounts for 14. 4% of the family's income, and 18. 2% of thefamily's expenditure, a ratio far beyond the national average (10.6 %). However, themajority of them report the burden as affordable.The basic medical insurance for urbanresidents helps alleviate the financial burden of hypertension patients and the extent ofsuch burden has a close bearing on the outcome of hypertension treatment and prevention.Conclusion Effective community-based blood-pressure monitoring and control system is keyto reducing the financial burden of hypertension. The reimbursement policy forhypertensive patients within the basic medical insurance is expected to be furtherimproved.