Table 2.
Distribution of capacity to pay and OOP costs for healthcare across elderly households in Shandong, China
| Indicators | Empty-nest single | Empty-nest couple | Non-empty-nest elderly | All |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frequency | 398 | 1216 | 1147 | 2761 |
| Average OOP* cost of healthcare (US$)† | ||||
| Mean‡ | 343 | 665 | 526 | 559 |
| Median | 160 | 304 | 317 | 317 |
| Average annual household expenditure (US$) | ||||
| Mean | 1152 | 2362 | 2905 | 2405 |
| Median | 815 | 1677 | 2413 | 1905 |
| Average annual household food expenditure (US$) | ||||
| Mean | 506 | 1046 | 1390 | 1108 |
| Median | 383 | 799 | 1270 | 794 |
| Average capacity to pay (US$)§ | ||||
| Mean | 645 | 1315 | 1508 | 1294 |
| Median | 415 | 831 | 1111 | 873 |
| OOP cost as share of capacity to pay (%) | 53.2 | 50.6 | 34.9 | 43.2 |
*OOP, out-of-pocket.
†Currency exchange rate of Chinese ¥RMB630 to US$100 (at the end of 2011).
‡There is a statistically significant difference for the mean OOP cost of health across different types of elderly households (F=12.60, p=0.000).
§Capacity to pay is calculated as household expenditure minus food expenditure.