Abstract

​

Yue, a 38-year-old mother in Beijing, knows all about the limitations of health insurance in China. Her public insurance allows her to go to public hospitals to get routine care, but those hospitals are crowded and confusing to navigate. She has often been unhappy with the quality of doctors and the overall experience. Indeed, when her son was suffering from a fever, she decided against taking him to a public hospital and instead brought him to a highly regarded private hospital. After two days, her son’s condition improved. But the private hospital didn’t accept public insurance, and Yue ended up paying RMB 10,000 ($1,500) out of pocket.