Socioeconomic Disparities in Cancer Treatment, Service Utilization and Catastrophic Health Expenditure in China: A Cross-Sectional Analysis.

ABSTRACT: This study aims (1) to assess socioeconomic disparities in healthcare use and catastrophic health expenditure (CHE) among cancer patients in China, which is defined as the point at which annual household health payments exceeded 40% of non-food household consumption expenditure, and (2) to examine the association of different treatments for cancers with health service utilization and CHE. We used nationally representative data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study in 2015 with 17,018 participants in which 381 with doctor-diagnosed cancer. The main treatments for cancer included the Chinese traditional medicine (TCM), western modern medicine (refers to taking western modern medications excluding TCM and other treatments for cancers), surgery, and radiation/chemotherapy. Co

SUBMITTER: Zhao Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7068279 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature