Impact Of China's Demographic Age Structure And The Residents' Health Care Consumption

With the improvement of income and the change to consumer attitudes,consumption structure has developed from a basic consumption to a higher level consumption gradually and healthcare consumption increases rapidly in the absolute amount. However, the proportion of health care consumption in total consumption is low, and the gap between the US-led western countries and our nation is still large. In order to force economic growth and promote the development of society, it is necessary to study the factors that will influence residents` health care consumption.Therefore, we start from population age structure and study the relationship between population age structure and residents` health care consumption theoretically and empirically. In addition, we put forward some relevant policy recommendations.Firstly, it combs the literature of domestic and foreign about the relationship between population age structure and residents` health care consumption, so as to get theory and technology support to the follow-up study. Then we analyze the theoretical basis between population age structure and residents` health care consumption, deducing the factors that will influence residents` health care consumption, which lays the theoretical foundation for the follow-up empirical study.Secondly, it summarizes the historical evolution process and regional differences of China`s population age structure. Furthermore, it analyses status of residents`health care consumption by comparison between urban and rural areas, and also one region and others.Thirdly, based on theoretical analysis and status review, we use GMM estimation to carry on empirical research between population age structure and residents` health care consumption based on the total data of 403 of 31 provinces,municipalities and autonomous regions from 2001 to 2013 in China. Analysis of the full sample shows that each 1 percent increase of the elderly dependency ratio will result in 29.7 percent increase of residents` health care consumption and each 1percent decrease of the child`s dependency ratio will result in 9.8 percent increase of residents` health care consumption. From the digital sizes of each variable coefficient,population age structure is the most important factor that affects residents` health care consumption. In order to measure the speed of population evolution process, it builds tempo of elderly age concentration and tempo of young age concentration and divides the samples on the basis of two indicators above. Through further study between population age structure and residents` health care consumption at different stage, we find that in the areas with a faster aging of population process, the elderly dependency ratio will have a greater impact on residents` health care consumption. And in the areas with a faster declining birthrate of population process, the child`s dependency ratio will also have a greater impact on residents` health care consumption.Finally, we make the following suggestions for the empirical results: first, we should expand health care services for the elderly and accelerate the training of health care professionals; Second, we should pay more attention to children` health care and speed up to build system of pediatric services, improving the ability of pediatric services and health care level; Third, the government should invest in public health and protect the health interests of people; Forth, we should adjust income distribution and improve the income level of residents, making effort to solve the big gap of income.