Research on the age-specific medical expenditure index based on the population covered by urban and rural residents′ basic medical insurance in a city of Zhejiang province
10.3760/cma.j.cn111325-20250116-00049
- VernacularTitle:基于浙江省某市城乡居民医保参保人口的年龄别医疗费用指数研究
- Author:
Zhengxian YING
1
;
Yu CHEN
;
Yuan ZHENG
;
Linqing ZHOU
;
Xiaohua YING
Author Information
1. 温州医科大学附属东阳医院，金华 322100
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Ageing of population;
Age-specific medical expenditure index;
Basic medical insurance for urban and rural residents;
Medical expenditure;
Regional compari
- From:
Chinese Journal of Hospital Administration
2025;41(7):500-505
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective:To construct and validate an age-specific medical expenditure index for analyzing healthcare cost differences across age groups.Methods:Data on demographics and costs from 1.8162 million residents covered by urban and rural residents′ basic medical insurance in a city of Zhejiang Province in 2019, 2021, and 2022 were analyzed. Average per capita medical costs were calculated for each single-year age group. The arithmetic mean of per capita medical expenditure for each age group was determined, and the medical cost of the age group closest to this average was used as the reference value to calculate the relative medical expenditure index for each group. Validation was conducted using data from a district in Guangdong province for 2022-2023.Results:The average per capita cost for the entire sample in the city of Zhejiang province was 3 692.20 yuan, with the 54-year-old age group having the closest cost to this value, thus serving as the reference for calculating age-specific medical expenditure index. The 14-year-old age group had the lowest medical expenditure index at 0.190, while the 84-year-old group had the highest at 2.638. The life-cycle medical expenditure index totaled 89.942, corresponding to 317 528.80 yuan. Cumulative indices by life stage were 7.724 (children, 0-19 years old), 9.455 (young adults, 20-39 years old), 17.993 (middle-aged, 40-59 years old), 39.543 (younger elderly, 60-79 years old), and 15.227 (older elderly, ≥80 years old), accounting for 8.59%, 10.51%, 20.01%, 43.96%, and 16.93% of the full life-cycle cost. Validation showed similar index patterns between the two regions before the age of 60, with slight differences in the elderly stage.Conclusions:The age-specific medical expenditure index could reflect the impact of age structure on healthcare costs and provide a practical tool for estimating medical insurance funding and optimizing healthcare resource allocation.
