Beyond health protection: Estimating the impact of public health insurance on home‐based livestock raising in rural China
研究中国新型农村合作医疗对家庭养殖的影响，发现医保扩面减少了农户养殖规模，表明正式保险替代了非正式风险应对，退出养殖的农户更可能从事低技能非农工作。
Abstract Livestock often serves as self‐insurance against health shocks for rural households in developing countries. However, little is known about how public health insurance affects livestock production decisions. This paper fills the gap by examining the impact of China's New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme (NRCMS) on household‐level livestock operations. I find that NRCMS significantly expands cooperative insurance coverage while reducing livestock ownership, suggesting that formal insurance crowds out informal risk management. Further analysis shows that households exiting livestock production are more likely to take up low‐skilled off‐farm jobs, pointing to potential gains in geographic and time flexibility. These findings highlight the broader economic effects of public health insurance beyond health protection.