Objectives: This paper constructs a comprehensive evaluation index of the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) medical service system and summarizes the development of TCM medical services in China. Methods: We chose 31 provinces' TCM hospitals as research objects. The data were obtained from the Health Statistics Yearbook from 2013 to 2018 and from the National Statistics of Chinese Medicine from 2012 to 2017. The approaches to factor analysis and TOPSIS are used in this paper. It is found that the comprehensive evaluation indexes of the TCM medical service system can be divided into 4 first-level indicators and 14 second-level indicators. Results: The development of the TCM medical service system in China is unbalanced and inadequate. North China and East China are generally superior to Northwest and Southwest China in terms of revenue and expenditure for TCM medical services. The per capita of medical resources in the Southwest and Northwest are stronger than those in Central and South China, but overall medical resources are weaker than those in East China and North China. TCM medical service institutions in East China, South China and Central China have achieved better service results and higher economic benefits with less resource input, which further indicates the efficient allocation of resources and the balanced operation of TCM medical service institutions. Conclusion: The development of China's TCM medical service system shows the imbalance and inadequacy of “East is strong, West is weak” and “South is superior, North is inferior.”

Purpose: This paper aims to measure the operating efficiency of China’s basic pension insurance from 2014 to 2019 in 31 provinces. Methods: The three-stage DEA model was used to evaluate the operating efficiency of basic pension insurance in 31 provinces. Results: On the whole, the operating efficiency of China’s basic pension insurance was at a high level, but there was still room for improvement. GDP, urbanization level and scale of government public expenditure had a positive impact on the operating efficiency of regional basic pension insurance. In contrast, the old-age dependency ratio had a significant negative effect. There were noticeable regional differences in the operating efficiency of China’s basic pension insurance, which showed a pattern of Central (0.742) >Eastern (0.689) >Western (0.505) after removing the influence of environmental variables. Conclusion: This study systematically analyzes the impact of external environmental regulations on China’s basic pension insurance’s operating efficiency and provides decision-making references for further improving the operating efficiency of China’s basic pension insurance. In order to further optimize the allocation of basic endowment insurance, this paper proposes the following countermeasures and suggestions: (1) broaden investment channels and improve the investment efficiency; (2) increase supervision of social security departments and strengthen information disclosure; (3) unify the management of social basic pension insurance.

Purpose: This paper aims to measure the technical efficiency of China’s medical and health institutions from 2012 to 2017 and outline the path to achieve high-quality development. Methods: The DEA-Malmquist was used to evaluate the total factor productivity of medical and health institutions in 31 provinces. A fuzzy set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) was used for configuration analysis of determinants affecting technical efficiency. Results: The average total factor productivity (TFP) of those institutions was 0.965, namely TFP declined averagely by 3.5% annually. The efficiency change and the technical change were 0.998 and 0.967, respectively. The realization paths of high technical efficiency are composed of high fatality rate and high financial allocation-led, high population density and high GDP-led. Low dependency ratio and low financial allocation-led, low fatality rate and low financial allocation-led are the main reasons for low technical efficiency. Conclusion: Due to advanced medical technology and economic development, major cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangdong have attracted a large number of high-level health personnel, achieving long-term and stable health business growth. Hubei, Anhui, and Sichuan also have made rapid development of health care through appropriate financial subsidies and policy supports. The technical changes in Qinghai, Yunnan, and Inner Mongolia are higher than the national average, but the operation and management level of the medical and health institutions is relatively weak. Henan, Jiangxi, and Heilongjiang have a prominent performance in the efficiency change, but the technical change is weaker than the national average.

Background: A linchpin to realizing the internal circulation (referring to the domestic cycle of production, distribution and consumption) is reducing residents’ saving rate and expanding the domestic needs. However, rural residents in China demonstrate a strong propensity to save money. Methods: In light of practical characteristics of urban-rural health integration promoted in different places, the three-phase data (from 2014 to 2018) and the dual difference-in-differences model of the China Labor-force Dynamics Survey (CLDS) are used to empirically investigate the impact of urban-rural health insurance integration on rural household savings. Results: Research reveals that urban-rural health integration can reduce the health risks and medical risks facing rural households, thus weakening the motivation of precautionary savings. The analysis of heterogeneity reveals that the integration of urban-rural health insurance significantly influences the savings rates of households headed by older individuals, particularly women, with lower levels of educational attainment. Besides, the single-tier health insurance system can have a more significant impact, whereas the multi-tier insurance system may not significantly affect the savings rate. Conclusion: Based on the aforesaid research conclusions, this article believes that in order to reduce the savings rate of rural households and expand consumption, the health insurance system should be further improved.