Perceived aging risk and private medical insurance intentions: education, subjective health, and a China-Malaysia comparison.

Introduction: Population aging raises uncertainty about future healthcare costs, pension adequacy, and financial security, yet evidence remains limited on how aging-related risk perceptions shape private medical insurance (PMI) intentions among adult consumers aged 18-64. This study examines whether perceived aging risk (AR) is associated with PMI purchase intentions and whether education, subjective health status, and national context condition this association. Methods: Survey data from consumers aged 18-64 in China ( Results: AR was consistently and positively associated with PMI purchase intentions across all models, whereas education and subjective health status showed no direct effects. In Malaysia, the AR-intention association was stronger among lower-education respondents and those reporting better subjective health; these moderation effects were not observed in China. The pooled model indicated that national context conditioned only education-based moderation. Discussion: The findings suggest that AR is a robust expectancy-based correlate of PMI intentions, but its translation into intention depends on context-specific consumer resources. PMI communication in aging societies should combine aging-risk framing with locally calibrated education-sensitive implementation.