Does inequality in China affect health differently in high- versus low-income households?
Does inequality in China affect health differently in high- versus low-income households?
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DOI：
10.1080/00036846.2010.534076
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发表时间：
2012-01-01
影响因子：
2.2
通讯作者：
Rizzo, John A.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Fang, Hai;Rizzo, John A.
中国近30年前实施的所谓“改革开放”政策带来了巨大的经济发展。2007年，中国名义国内生产总值3.25万亿美元，成为世界第四大经济体。与此同时，中国的收入不平等已经变得相当严重，招致了相当多的批评。此外，收入不平等加剧的趋势仍在继续。与公共政策特别相关的是，收入不平等对中国健康差距的影响，特别是对低收入家庭的影响。本研究利用1997年至2006年中国健康与营养调查（CHNS）的纵向数据集解决了这一问题。我们的主要发现是，收入不平等对健康的影响因社会经济地位的不同而不同：收入不平等对低收入家庭个人健康的危害大于对高收入家庭的危害。更具体地说，低收入家庭收入不平等加剧对健康的不利影响更大。中国中央政府承诺对卫生保健系统进行进一步投资。作为这项努力的一部分，应关注低收入家庭，以减少健康不平等，可能为他们提供类似于美国医疗补助计划的健康保险安全网。
China's so-called 'reform and opening up' policy (Gai Ge Kai Fang), implemented nearly 30 years ago, has led to tremendous economic development. China's nominal Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was 3.25 trillion US dollars in 2007, making it the fourth largest economy in the world. At the same time, income inequality has become quite skewed in China, inviting considerable criticism. Moreover, the trend towards greater income inequality persists. Of particular public policy relevance is the effect of income inequality on health disparities in China, particularly for low-income households. This study addresses this issue using a longitudinal dataset from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) over the period 1997 to 2006. Our central finding is that income inequality affects health differently by socioeconomic status: income inequality harms individual health among low income households by more than it does among high income households. More specifically, health is more adversely affected by greater income inequality for households with low incomes. China's central government is committed to making further investments in the health care system. As part of that effort, attention should be directed at low income households to reduce health inequality, possibly providing them with a health insurance safety net similar to Medicaid in USA.