An Empirical DID Analysis of the Policy Effects of an Integrated Urban-rural Health Insurance System

Using data from CHARLS 2015 and 2018, the author conducts a DID empirical analysis of the policy effects of implementing an integrated urban and rural health insurance system. The study shows that the policy of urban-rural health insurance integration has a significant impact on the reduction of the proportion of residents' out-of-pocket medical expenses and poverty vulnerability, while it does not have a significant impact on the reduction of out-of-pocket medical expenses; overall, the policy has a more significant positive effect on reducing residents' medical burden and reducing poverty or return to poverty due to illness.