China's medical insurance system, long celebrated for its near-universal reach, has been revealed by a Lancet study to quietly redistribute resources upward — away from the sick and poor, toward the healthy and wealthy. In 2023, the poorest fifth of Chinese households bore 37% of the nation's disease burden yet received only 6.8% of insurance payouts, a disparity rooted not in accident but in architecture. Flat-rate premiums and fragmented coverage policies, designed with the language of equality, have produced a system that functions as a quiet tax on the vulnerable. The question now before p
China's Medical Insurance Disproportionately Benefits Wealthy, Study Shows
The poorest fifth of Chinese households face disproportionate health care burdens, bearing 37% of disease burden while receiving minimal insurance support.