[Study on out-of-pocket expenditure and related factors among cancer inpatients with Hunan Provincial Urban Employee Basic Medical Insurance].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the level and influential factors for out-of-pocket (OOP) expenditure regarding Hunan Provincial Urban Employee Basic Medical Insurance (UEBMI) and to provide evidence for improvement of medical insurance payment system.
 METHODS: Stratified random sampling method was used to obtain 10 527 records of cancer inpatients from January 2011 to December 2014. Social demographic and expenditure information were collected from UEBMI information system. The proportion of OOP expenditure for inpatient and each part of the cost was described. Multiple linear regression was used to analyze main related factors of OOP expenditure.
 RESULTS: The median proportion of OOP for inpatients costs was 20.11%, and remained stable from 2011 to 2014. The main related factors for OOP expenditure were age, civil servant, retirment status, hospital level, cost of hospitalization, hospitalization duration, medicine cost, proportion of general medical service charges, treatment cost, expenses of examination and laboratory test, and cancer type.
 CONCLUSION: OOP expenditure among UEBMI cancer inpatients was under control and stable. The level can well reflect the policy preferences. It could be further improved through the control of related factors, particularly the hospital level.

An investigation into local government plans for public health emergencies in China.

OBJECTIVES: A cross-sectional investigation was designed to assess the quality of local government plans for public health emergencies and to determine whether relevant regulations for emergency plans are in place. METHODS: Sixty-six municipalities were selected randomly using stratified sampling, and a questionnaire investigation on emergency plans was conducted in these municipalities. RESULTS: The findings show that approximately 50% of emergency plans omitted important content; less than 50% of municipalities had established three regulations for emergency plans. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the analysis, the quality of existing public health emergency plans is not sufficient. More than 50% of municipalities lack regulations for emergency plans. Suggestions regarding the responsibility of government at different levels are made. First, central government should draw up a set of standard development procedures and a standard template for emergency plans. Secondly, local governments should revise their plans. Thirdly, local governments should establish regulations for emergency plans as soon as possible.