Table 1.

Comparison between CMS and NCMS organized by Chinese government

	CMS	NCMS
Source official document	Prospectus (draft) of cooperative medical scheme for rural areas [27]	The State Council forwards the notice released by the Ministry of Health regarding the establishment of the New Cooperative Scheme for rural areas.
Year of issue	December 15, 1979	January 16, 2003
Goal	To protect the health of community members and develop agricultural production	To relieve the financial burden on farmers because of illness and improve their health
Principle		Voluntary participation, multi-party financing, and fixed income support. A pilot is conducted before the scheme is established gradually
Organization and management	The production team constructs cooperative medical stations (clinics) and establishes a committee composed of cadres, representatives, and health staff.	The county (district) generally initiates coordination while the province (city) sets up a coordination group.
Financing	Raised by individuals and organizations (Community chest) that participate in CMS	Raised through individual contributions, collective support, and government funding
Management of funds	Managed by the production team or community health care workers	Managed by the NCMS management committee and its agencies