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南京医科大学学报（社会科学版）京医科大学学报（社会科学版） 第1期 总第114期
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· 46 · Journal of Nanjing Medical University（Social Sciences）of Nanjing Medical University（Social Sciences） 2023年2月
Journal

Effect of long⁃term care insurance on outpatient utilization and

medical expenses in middle⁃aged and elderly people

MA Guangbo，XU Kun
School of Finance and Public Administration，Anhui University of Finance and Economics，Bengbu 233030，China
Abstract：A growing aging population， disabled population， and the disorder expansion of medical
expenses threaten the sustainable development of the healthcare security system. Based on the data from China
Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study in 2011，2013，2015，and 2018，this study used the Differences⁃in⁃
Differences to explore the effect of long ⁃ term healthcare insurance on outpatient utilization and medical
expenses. The results show that long⁃term healthcare insurance can significantly reduce out⁃of⁃pocket medical
expenses and outpatient visits. The heterogeneity analysis showed that long ⁃ term healthcare insurance had a
more significant impact on urban and rural healthcare insurance participants than that of the urban workers. At
the income level，long⁃term healthcare insurance reduced medical costs for middle and upper⁃income families
but had little effect on low ⁃ income families. These conclusions validated the value of long ⁃ term healthcare
insurance and provided a meaningful reference for the new round of medical reform and the expansion of pilot
scope in China.
Key words：long⁃term care insurance；outpatient utilization；medical expenses；Differences⁃in⁃Differences