Healthcare for Migrants in Urban China: A New Frontier

Abstract

How can healthcare access for Chinese migrants be improved? Migrant workers face two types of healthcare-access exclusion in the workplace: one is financial (because of their income) and the other is social (because of the lack of social networks in the city). We use 2006 data from a survey of rural migrant workers conducted in five of the most economically-advanced cities. The empirical findings support the hypothesis of a return to the hometown for migrant workers with poor health. Apart from residency permits and income, the social integration of migrant workers is also found to be a decisive factor in healthcare access.