ArticleBMC health services research2025
Health insurance integration and fertility intentions among migrant populations in China: evidence from urban-rural medical reform.
Article in BMC health services research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
1 author.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundChina's integration of urban and rural medical insurance (IURMI) aims to promote equitable healthcare access for migrant populations. While social insurance is often expected to ease economic constraints and support childbearing, little is known about how IURMI influences fertility intentions among migrant women. This study examines whether expanded health coverage through IURMI affects reproductive decision-making and explores underlying mechanisms.
methodsThis study uses data from the 2018 China Migrants Dynamic Survey (CMDS), focusing on 53,837 migrant women aged 17 to 49. To ensure robust causal inference, it applies propensity score matching (PSM), double/debiased machine learning (DML), and instrumental variable (IV) estimation. The models control for a wide range of individual, household, and regional characteristics and include subgroup analyses to assess heterogeneity in policy effects.
resultsThe findings show a significant negative association between IURMI and fertility intentions. The effect is stronger among women who are employed and intend to stay in cities. Rather than discouraging childbirth directly, IURMI appears to support more deliberate and long-term life planning, leading some women to postpone or reduce childbearing as they prioritize career and settlement goals.
conclusionsThe results highlight how institutional support through health insurance can influence fertility decisions by enhancing individuals' ability to plan for the future. Lower fertility intentions among migrant women may reflect greater control over life trajectories rather than diminished desire for children. These findings emphasize the importance of aligning health policy with the evolving needs and preferences of urban migrant populations.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.