This analysis finds that medical insurance integration reduces health inequality in urban and rural areas, suggesting a path to better policy effectiveness.
Key Points
Integration of medical insurance systems improves health service utilization among urban and rural residents.
Health inequalities are reduced, with a notable impact on the elderly in eastern and central regions.
Analysis indicates that integrating medical insurance narrows the gap in healthcare access between urban and rural populations.
The study employs the difference-in-differences method using data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study.