Table 1 Variables’ specifications

Dependent variables

Satisfaction with local medical services

1 = Very dissatisfied, 2 = Somewhat dissatisfied, 3 = Neutral,4 = Somewhat satisfied, 5 = Very satisfied

Explanatory Variables

Urban Employee Basic Medical Insurance—Outpatient Pooling policy (UEBMI-OP)

1 = Implemented, 0 = Not implemented

Urban and Rural Resident Basic Medical Insurance—Outpatient Pooling policy (URRBMI-OP)

1 = Implemented, 0 = Not implemented

Urban Employee Basic Medical Insurance—Outpatient Pooling policy protection level (UEBMI-OP-PL)

2 = high protection,1 = low protection,0 = no protection

Demographic Characteristics

Gender

1 = Male, 0 = Female

Marital Status

1 = Married, 0 = Single

Age Group

0 = 45–59 years old, 1 = 60–69 years old, 2 = 70–79 years old, 3 = 80 + years old

Socioeconomic characteristics

Education Level

0 = Illiterate/Semi-literate, 1 = Primary School, 2 = Middle School, 3 = High School and above

Per Capita Household Expenditure

Continuous variable

Health Status Variables

Number of Chronic Diseases

0 = No chronic disease, 1 = One chronic disease, 2 = 2 to 3 chronic diseases, 3 = 4 or more chronic diseases

Self-reported Health Status

0 = Good, 1 = Fair, 2 = Poor

Activity of Daily Living (ADL)

Difficulty in Activities of Daily Living, Continuous variable

Healthcare Utilization

Outpatient Visits in the Past Month

1 = Yes, 0 = No

Hospitalization in the Past Year

1 = Yes, 0 = No

Regional Variables

Hospital Beds per 1,000 Population

Continuous variable

Doctors per 1,000 Population

Continuous variable

Log-transformed per capita GDP

Continuous variable

Region

2 = Eastern region, 1 = Central region, 0 = Western region