The effect of health insurance reform on the number of cataract surgeries in Chongqing, China
Open Access
- 26 March 2011
- journal article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in BMC Health Services Research
- Vol. 11 (1), 67
- https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6963-11-67
Abstract
Background Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness in China, and poverty is a major barrier to having cataract surgery. In 2003, the Chinese government began a series of new national health insurance reforms, including the New Cooperative Medical Scheme (NCMS) and the Urban Resident Basic Health Insurance scheme (URBMI). These two programs, combined with the previously existing Urban Employee Basic Health Insurance (UEBMI) program, aimed to make it easier for individuals to receive medical treatment. This study reports cataract surgery numbers in rural and urban populations and the proportion of these who had health insurance in Chongqing, China from 2003 to 2008. Methods The medical records of a consecutive case series, including 14,700 eyes of 13,262 patients who underwent age-related cataract surgery in eight hospitals in Chongqing from January 1, 2003, to December 31, 2008, were analysed retrospectively via multi-stage cluster sampling. Results In the past six years, the total number of cataract surgeries had increased each year as had the number of patients with insurance. Both the number of surgeries and the number of insured patients were much higher in the urban group than in the rural group. The rate of increase in the rural group however was much higher than in the urban group, especially in 2007 and 2008. The odds ratios of having health insurance for urban vs. rural individuals were relatively stable from 2003 to 2006, but it decreased in 2007 and was significantly lower in 2008. Conclusions Health insurance appears to be an important factor associated with increased cataract surgery in Chongqing, China. With the implementation of health insurance, the number of Chongqing's cataract surgeries was increased year by year.Keywords
This publication has 13 references indexed in Scilit:
- How does the New Cooperative Medical Scheme influence health service utilization? A study in two provinces in rural ChinaBMC Health Services Research, 2010
- How effectively can the New Cooperative Medical Scheme reduce catastrophic health expenditure for the poor and non-poor in rural China?Tropical Medicine & International Health, 2010
- The Urban Resident Basic Medical Insurance: a landmark reform towards universal coverage in ChinaHealth Economics, 2009
- Economic analysis of China's health care system: turning a new pageHealth Economics, 2009
- Reform of how health care is paid for in China: challenges and opportunitiesThe Lancet, 2008
- China’s Latest Health Reforms: A Conversation With Chinese Health Minister Chen ZhuHealth Affairs, 2008
- Rapid Assessment of Avoidable Blindness in Kunming, ChinaOphthalmology, 2008
- The Chinese Health System At A CrossroadsHealth Affairs, 2008
- Rapid assessment of avoidable blindness in Kunming, China.2007
- A survey of blindness and cataract surgery in Doumen County, ChinaOphthalmology, 1999