Heterogeneity of the Impact of the Social Old-Age Insurance and the Medical Insurance on the Mortality Risk of the Elderly

Abstract

Based on the frailty Cox model, this paper analyzes CLHLS data from 2008 to 2017/2018 to examine the impact of the social old-age insurance and the medical insurance on the mortality risk of the elderly based on the age structures, urban/rural areas and regions. The results reveal the heterogeneous impact as follows. In terms of the age structures, the social old-age insurance significantly reduces the mortality risk of the elderly aged below 80, but has no significant impact on the elderly aged 80 and above, whereas the medical insurance significantly reduces the mortality risk of the elderly aged 80 and above, but has no significant impact on the elderly aged below 80. In urban/rural areas and different regions, the social old-age insurance has no significant impact on the mortality risk of the elderly, whereas the social medical insurance significantly increases the mortality risk of the elderly in urban areas and the East, and reduces that of the elderly in rural areas and the Middle and the West. When implementing the insurances, China should pay attention to the different attributes of the elderly to guarantee the service quality, including the age structures, urban/rural areas and regions. A full consideration should be given to the allocation of investment and social security resources, so as to address the issue of the mismatch between the supply and demand of medical resources, and finally achieve the success of healthy aging and health equity.