This study estimated the association of income and prevalence of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and hypertension, and then quantified the contribution of health behaviors to the association in China. Using the 2013 survey of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), a logit model was applied to examine income-related health disparities in relation to CVD and hypertension. A four-step regression method was then constructed to measure the role of health behaviors in income-related health disparities. Using indirect effects, mediation by health behaviors was examined. Income-related health disparities in chronic diseases were found to exist in China. Specifically, individuals in the high-income group had a 14% (OR = 0.86; 95% CI 0.73–1.02) and 14% (OR = 0.86; 95% CI 0.76–0.97) lower odds of suffering from CVD and hypertension than those in the low-income group. However, limited evidence shows this association was mediated by health behaviors. The Heaviness of Smoking Index (HSI), heavy drinking, irregular eating, and nap time did not significantly mediate the association of income and prevalence of CVD and hypertension. To curb the rising prevalence of CVD and hypertension in China, policies should focus on the low-income subpopulation. However, healthy behaviors interventions targeting smoking, heavy drinking, unhealthy napping and irregular eating habits among low-income people may be ineffective in reduction of income-related disparities in prevalence of CVD and hypertension.

China successfully achieved universal health insurance coverage in 2011. Previous work on the effects of social health insurance in China has overlooked the association between health insurance and inpatient service category as well as the mechanisms of institutional characteristics. This study seeks to estimate the social health insurance difference in inpatient expenditure and service category. The role of institutional characteristics was also studied. The logistic model was applied to estimate the association of social health insurance and service category. In addition, Heckman Selected Model and generalized linear model were used to examine the association of health insurance and inpatient expenditure. Estimations were done for 4076 individuals older than 45 years using pooled cross-sectional survey data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study conducted in 2011 and 2013. Patients with health insurance were more likely to spend more and receive more types of inpatient service. This relationship was partially explained by the institutional characteristics. Therefore, this study highlights the importance of enforcing the regulation of referral mechanisms, the tiered copayment requirement to guide people's care-seeking behavior, and reforming the allocation of limited health resources between different levels of facilities and also between private and public hospitals.