Health Care for 1.3 Billion: An Overview of China’s Health System
28 Pages Posted: 27 Mar 2012
Date Written: January 9, 2012
Abstract
What kind of a health care system do China’s 1.3 billion turn to when ill, injured, or in need of care? This article provides a brief overview of how China’s health system has transformed alongside China’s society and economy since the Mao era, including how the current system is financed, organized, regulated, and being reformed. I first provide a brief description of the Mao-era health system and China’s demographic and epidemiologic transitions. Then I overview China’s contemporary health care system, including the dramatic expansion of health insurance over the last eight years and the progress of national health system reforms initiated in 2009.
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation