Study On Families’ Health-Care Expenditure In Shandong Province

BackgroundWith the reform and open-up and the economic development, household living standards have greatly improved in China, but at the same time, the medical economy burden on families become heavier and heavier, "the illness-cased poverty and the poverty-caused illness " phenomenon emerge in endlessly. Unreasonable growth of medical costs has brought serious harm to the economic society and increased the financial burden on families, the medical expenditure in health economics has caused attention of the related scholars gradually. This study based on the Grossman health needs capital theory, using the Fifth National Health Services Survey data of Shandong Province, calculating the marginal propensity to consume, the income elasticity of demand, the own-price elasticity and the primary need of health-care expenditure in different family types, exploring the discrepancy in various types of families and finally proposing the corresponding policy recommendation.Objectives1. Using the Extend Linear Expenditure System calculates different categories families’health-care marginal propensity to consume and the proportion of total consumer spending and study the different types families’health-care spending will of Shandong Province.2. Measuring different categories families’health-care income elasticity of demand, own-price elasticity and he primary need of health-care and the health-care expenditure.3. Discussing differences between different categories families’ health-care marginal propensity to consume, income elasticity of demand, own-price elasticity and primary need of health-care. Putting forward the policy suggestions to reduce the financial burden of health-care.ResultsThe results of this study found that, the marginal propensity to consume was 0.02, accounting for 5.13% of the total marginal propensity to consume, the income elasticity of demand was 0.21, the own-price elasticity was -0.11, the primary need was 2696.12 yuan in all families types in 2012 in Shandong Province health-care insurance. The marginal propensity to consume in different types of families were between 0.002 and 0.08, and the highest was the family type of "families with mental illness members"; The the income elasticity of demand in different types of families were between 0.02 and 0.51, and the highest was the family type of "families without health-care insurance"; The the own-price elasticity in different types of families were between -0.01 and-0.32, and the highest was the family type of "families without health-care insurance"; The the primary need in different types of families were between 2330.14 yuan and 10486.88 yuan, and the highest was the family type of "families with hospitalized patients". Overall, absolute value of home health-care spending and of the income elasticity were within the acceptable range in 2012 in Shandong Province. health-care for different family types in Shandong Province were "essential", rather than "luxury". While the burden of families with more elders, poor health, mental illness, urban households, no social insurance, basic living allowances and smoking patients were heavier comparing to same group; Chronic disease did not bring heavy burden to the family health-care and commercial insurance did not reduce the health-care burden on families; There are some differences of health-care burden in the different income levels of families and different regions.Conclusion1. For the families with large proportion of elderly, we should focus on the diseases elderly susceptible to, establish the elderly care system relying on grassroots medical institutions, implement the medical combined with support, improve the medical insurance system to reduce their health-care burden.2. For the families with mental illness patients, we should focus on the study of the economic burden of mental illness reduce the proportion of individual pays with all sectors of linkage cooperation to reduce their health-care burden.3. For the families with basic living allowances, we should make effort to increase patient compensation, improve hospital reimbursement rate, implement the poor medical treatment system to reduce their health-care burden.4. For the middle-income families, we should give full play to the advantages of the community to reduce their health-care burden.5. For the families with smoking family members, the governments should introduce stricter tobacco control laws and regulations, promote smoking cessation actions, continue to raise tobacco taxes to reduce the number of smoking group and to reduce their health-care burden.6. For the families with no social health insurance, we should deal with the residents medical insurance with compulsory insurance measures, supervise the employers strictly, enhance the awareness of self-protection of the employees, continue to expand medical insurance rate, achieve universal enrollment patterns to reduce their medical health burden.