摘要
Differences in level of medical expenditures and compensation ratio of medical expenditure among various subgroups in the older population according to age, gender, education, income and area have important public policy implications. This paper discusses these topics by data based on two waves of social surveys, a baseline in 2000 and a follow-up in 2006 named ＂The Sample Survey on Aged Population in Urban/Rural China （SSAPUR）＂. During the six years, the increasing speed of medical expenditure is rapid. The payout of medical expenditure of older people in 2000 was more conservative than that in 2006. Gender and urban-rural differences were also evident with regard to the compensation ratio of medical expenditure; older males and all urban older people had higher compensation ratios than elderly females and the rural older people, respectively. Compensation ratio also increased at age, as well as at education and income levels. Inequalities increased over the six-year period between surveys except when analyzed by area of residence and income levels. A comparison of factors affecting medical expenditure showed that the differences in medical expenditure between 2000 and 2006 had increased, though the influencing factors seemed to have become more reasonable.
