ABSTRACT
Today, the NRCMS initiative is proudly displayed by Chinese health policy makers as one of the cornerstones in the development of a sustainable health framework for contemporary China. This position has been most recently exemplified by the public announcements to introduce new pilot pension schemes in Shanghai and Beijing as a
1. Introduction One of the challenges of China’s bo ming growth in the past few decades is the search to find an affordable and effectivemeans of providing equitablemedical care to themillions of rural inhabitants who consti ute almost half of the total population of China. To this end since 20 2, the Chinese government has sought to implement a New Rural Co-operative Medical Scheme (NRCMS), providing basic medical insurance to the majority po r in return for an ual membership payments. This chemewas not entirely new andwas broadly based on an older scheme of co-operative rural healthcare (Rural Co-operative Medical Scheme) formally inaugurated by Mao Zedong in 1965. Understandably given the large differentials, in terms of market and polit cal contexts, which have evolved betwe n 1965 and 20 2, these two schemes demonstrate key differences. Perhapsmost prominently, while in the past he health co-operative was given a degre of autonomy in terms of organizing its own local structures and medical services, today, the NRCMS is obviously more voluntary and centrally led comprising all broad intents and purposes an imitation of a western-style mutual scheme whereby individuals can invest in return for basic health insurance.
