Factors influencing individuals’ take-up of tax-subsidized private health insurance: a cross-sectional study in China

Abstract

Aims: To identify factors influencing individuals' take-up of tax-subsidized private health insurance. Methods: A self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted to collect data in Hangzhou, China. A logistic regression analysis was applied to find factors influencing individuals' take-up of tax-subsidized private health insurance. Results: A total of 1,610 participants joined the survey, and 1,543 valid cases were obtained. The logistic regression results showed that educational level, marital status, the number of elderly people to support, types of basic medical insurance covered, disease history, reimbursement rate of outpatient visits, reimbursement rate of inpatient visits, knowledge of tax-subsidized private health insurance, and ratio of the deduction to income influenced individuals' take-up of tax-subsidized private health insurance. Limitations: Sample representativeness may be sacrificed by the fact that the data were collected from one city (Hangzhou) in a cross-sectional investigation. Conclusions: Demographic variables, such as educational level, marital status, and the number of elderly people to support, have an impact on individuals' take-up of tax-subsidized private health insurance, while age and gender are not significant. People with disease history are more likely to take out tax-subsidized private health insurance. The ratio of deduction to income is positively correlated with the take-up of tax-subsidized private health insurance. Suggestions, such as strengthening the publicity of tax-subsidized private health insurance, increasing the deduction amount, and encouraging employers to provide tax-subsidized private health insurance for employees' families are provided with the hope to promote the development of tax-subsidized private health insurance in China.

What Are the Determinants of the Decision to Purchase Private Health Insurance in China?

“…However, SBMI is limited in service coverage and reimbursement. It is difficult for SBMI to meet enrollees' growing needs for higher quality medical services [10]. While PHI can provide a broader range of coverage options [5], the central government has begun to attach importance to developing PHI since 2014.…”

Uptake and determinants of private health insurance enrollment in a country with heavily subsidised public healthcare: A cross-sectional survey in East Coast Malaysia

“…Educational levels also had no association with PHI uptake among the east coast populations in Malaysia despite many studies showing contradicting findings [ 13 , 16 , 17 ]. However, participants who attained tertiary education had a higher percentage of PHI uptake compared to those with secondary education or below.…”

“…Women in Brazil had higher insurance health coverage [ 12 ], while in Namibia, the proportion of PHI ownership was higher among men [ 14 ]. However, studies in China and India showed that the proportions of PHI ownership among males and females were equivalent [ 13 , 15 , 16 ]. A higher educational level is usually associated with better employment with promising salary prospects and better health literacy that increases the likelihood of obtaining accurate information on health status and services.…”

“…A higher educational level is usually associated with better employment with promising salary prospects and better health literacy that increases the likelihood of obtaining accurate information on health status and services. Numerous studies have shown that education level is related to a higher likelihood of purchasing PHI [ 13 , 16 , 17 ]. Married individuals were more likely to purchase PHI in Korea, Namibia, and China [ 14 , 16 , 18 ] compared to those who were single or widowed.…”

“…Numerous studies have shown that education level is related to a higher likelihood of purchasing PHI [ 13 , 16 , 17 ]. Married individuals were more likely to purchase PHI in Korea, Namibia, and China [ 14 , 16 , 18 ] compared to those who were single or widowed. Based on the limited literature on PHI uptake in Malaysia, there was no data on PHI purchases among the three major ethnic groups.…”