Review of and reflection on the experiment of cooperative medical car e in distressed rural areas

With the support of international organizations like the United Nations Children's Fund, the Health Economy Network conducted a five－year experimental study of various forms of cooperative medical care in 10 counties involving 8 provinces of the country. The paper reports the results of a survey of 8 141 persons from 2 076 households. The rate of insurance coverage of individuals reached 73.7%. Among the peasant households that participated in cooperative medical care, 54.6% received compensations, 38.9% thought that their economic burdens had been lightened, 43.3% thought that it was more convenient now to seek medical service, and 41.5% thought that service quality had been improved as a result of cooperative medical care. Comparison with the control group indicates that adoption of cooperative medical care can provide community residents with medical and health security, lighten their economic burdens and enhance the utilization of health services.