Medical insurance integration and its link to reducing health gaps between city and rural areas in China

In 2015, a unified medical insurance program in China aimed to reduce health disparities between urban and rural residents.

• Both urban and rural residents experienced improvements in health outcomes following the insurance reform.
• Urban residents reported better overall self-reported health compared to rural residents.
• Rural residents showed improvements in self-reported health and a decrease in diagnosed diseases.
• The disparity in difficulties with daily activities decreased, although some worsening in these difficulties was noted.
• Elderly and working populations specifically faced an increased trend in difficulties with daily activities.

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