China faces health care funding crisis

China’s health system faces a funding crisis, with the average cost of a single hospital admission almost equivalent to annual per capita income, the Financial Times reported, citing a report published in the medical journal The Lancet. The report found that the average cost of a single hospital admission was more than twice the average per capita annual income for 20% of China’s population. Many Chinese who lack health insurance are reluctant to visit the hospital for even relatively treatable injuries or illnesses for fear of high bills. More than 35% of urban households and 43% of rural households "have difficulty affording healthcare, go without, or are impoverished by the costs," the report said.