Healthcare access for migrants in China : A new frontier

Carine Milcent (1, 2, 3)

1 PSE - Paris School of Economics
2 Tsing Hua University - Beijing
3 PJSE - Paris-Jourdan Sciences Economiques

How can healthcare access for Chinese migrants be improved? Migrant workers face two types of healthcare-access exclusion in the workplace: a financial one (via income) and a legislative one (from the "hukou"). We use 2006 data from a survey of rural migrant workers conducted in five of the most economically-advanced cities. We estimate a fixed-effect probit model, and control for the non-exogeneity of health insurance. The empirical findings support the hypothesis of a return to the hometown for migrant workers with poor health. Apart from residency permits and income, the social integration of migrant workers is also found to be a decisive factor in healthcare access. Policies tackling migrant healthcare exclusion should thus involve organisations working at the local level, such as residents' committees.

Mots clés: healthcare access; health insurance; social capital; China; migrants

Domaines: Economies et finances

Carine Milcent. Healthcare access for migrants in China : A new frontier. 2010. ⟨halshs-00575014⟩