Recent reforms to health insurance policies in China have sparked protests in the cities of Wuhan and Dalian, with a majority of protesters being elderly people. Dr. Winnie Yip, Professor of Global Health Policy and Economics, spoke with reporters at NBC News to discuss how these reforms will affect China’s population, particularly its vulnerable groups.
The primary concern of protestors is that allocating more employers’ health insurance contributions from individual savings accounts towards collective funds will increase expenses of healthy older people. However, Dr. Yip raises a critical point on equity, stating that “the health insurance changes would create ‘a more equitable system’ in that it would make more funds available for people who earn less or have more serious health issues.” Dr. Yip suggests what can be done to mitigate growing frustrations and misconceptions.
Scholars of the Harvard China Health Partnership, including Dr. Yip, have conducted groundbreaking research on various topics of meaningful aging in China, including the challenges at hand surrounding the provision and financing of accessible, affordable healthcare to elderly populations.
Resources
- The article in NBC News is available here.