Objective:
This study aims to deeply explore the relationship between price adjustment and demand for health care services under the background of health care service price reform in China in recent years. Empirical research on the price elasticity of demand was conducted to provide a reference for promoting the reform of health care service prices and establishing a dynamic price adjustment mechanism.
Contents:
Systematically sorted out the status quo of health care service price reform in China. Analyzing the impact of Beijing health care service price reform on health care income and structure. Calculating the price elasticity of demand for different types of health care services. Calculating the price elasticity of demand for different health care services. Testing the robustness of the calculation results of the price elasticity of demand for health care services.
Methods:
Literature review was applied to summarize the research status of domestic and sort out foreign health care service demand price elasticity, the current situation of health care service price reform in China. The arc elasticity calculation formula was used to calculate the demand price elasticity of different types of health care services and different health care service items. The sampling survey method was used to select health care service items meeting the screening criteria and health care institutions meeting the data requirements for analysis and research. The comparative analysis method was used to test the robustness of the calculation results of the price elasticity of demand for health care services. Descriptive statistical methods, non-parametric tests and other statistical analysis methods were used to analyze and test the research results.
Results:
From 2016 to 2019, the average growth rates of health care income of tertiary hospitals, secondary hospitals and primary hospitals in Beijing were 5.95%, 3.98% and 15.53%, respectively. After the comprehensive reform of the separation of medicines, the proportion of public hospitals' drug expenses continued to decline, the proportion of health care service fees increased significantly, the proportion of examination fees decreased slightly, and the proportion of laboratory fees and treatment expenses increased slightly. After the comprehensive reform of health care consumption linkage, the proportion of hospital operation expenses has increased significantly, and the proportion of health materials expenses has decreased slightly.
The price elasticity of demand for different types of health care services, such as outpatient and emergency services, inpatient services, doctor outpatient services at different levels, CT and MRI examinations, acupuncture and massage (tuina), pathological examinations, and clinical operations, was calculated using the health care reform monitoring data in Beijing. The price elasticity of demand for outpatient and emergency services was -1.1958. The price elasticity of demand for other types of health care services ranged from -0.5282 to 0.9336.
The demand price elasticity of a total of 22 health care service items were calculated. The price elasticity of demand for cupping therapy, scraping therapy, thrombelastography test and karyotyping analysis were -1.5284, -3.7669, -1.2688 and -2.7144, respectively. The price elasticity of demand for the remaining health care services items ranged from -0.9511 to 0.5456.
Conclusions:
The demand for different types of health care services and different health care service items generally lacked price elasticity, but this study found that the demand for some health care services were price elastic, such as outpatient and emergency services, cupping therapy, scraping therapy, thromboelasticity
V
Graph test and karyotype analysis 4 health care services. At the same time, this study also found that the price elasticity of demand for some health care services were positive, which meant that when the prices of these health care services were increased, the demands increased accordingly. To sum up, this study showed that the demand for different types of health care services and different health care service items had different sensitivity to price changes. Under the policy background of health care service price reform in China, this study was supported by the classic theory of demand price elasticity in economics, and through the method of arc elasticity analysis, the results of the demand price elasticity of different types of health care services and different health care service items in Beijing were calculated. This study provided new empirical evidence for the research on the price elasticity of health care service demand, and had certain guiding significance for the price adjustment of health care service items.