Factors associated with enrollment, satisfaction, and sustainability of the New Cooperative Medical Scheme program in six study areas in rural Beijing.

OBJECTIVE

This study examines the factors associated with the enrollment, satisfaction, and sustainability of the New Cooperative Medical Scheme (NCMS) program in six study areas in rural Beijing.

METHODS

Data come from a sample of 890 persons aged 15-88 from 890 households who were randomly interviewed from six rural counties/districts in Beijing.

RESULTS

Findings from multi-level models indicate that gender, socioeconomic status, adequate knowledge about the policy, subjective premium contribution, subjective co-payment rates, and need are significantly associated with enrollment. We further find that the sustainability of the NCMS program is only significantly related to knowledge about the policy and satisfaction with the overall performance of the program.

CONCLUSION

The NCMS program should be further promoted through different media avenues. It is also necessary to expand the types of services to include basic medical care and other specialized services to meet the different needs of the rural population. In addition, supervision of the system's performance should be enhanced and characteristics of the local community should be considered in the implementation of the NCMS.