Is the medical financial assistance program an effective supplement to social health insurance for low-income households in China? A cross-sectional study

Background China uses both social health insurance (SHI) programs and a medical financial assistance (MFA) program to protect the poor from illness-induced financial risks. The MFA provides a dual benefit package targeting low-income families: subsidizing these families’ participation in SHI programs, and providing cash aid to protect them from catastrophic health expenditure (CHE). This study aims to investigate: (1) the association between MFA subvention for SHI enrollment and SHI enrollment; (2) the association between MFA cash aid and CHE; and (3) the association between SHI enrollment and CHE in low-income households in China.