Rural health prepayment schemes in China: towards a more active role for government

A large majority of Chinaʹs rural population were members of health prepayment schemes in the 1970ʹs. Most of these schemes collapsed during the transition to a market economy. Some localities subsequently reestablished schemes. In early 1997 a new government policy identified health prepayment as a major potential source of rural health finance. This paper draws on the experience of existing schemes to explore how government can support implementation of this policy.