Based on CHARLS survey data, we studied the choice of medical behaviors of the elderly under the social pension model, and analyzed the choice of medical behaviors of the elderly using the propensity matching method, starting from four levels: preventive medical behaviors, timely hospitalization behaviors, treatment selection behaviors, and medical expenditure behaviors. The results showed that the social pension had a significant effect on the behavioral choices of preventive medical treatment and timely hospitalization, while the social pension did not have a significant effect on the other medical behavioral choices of the elderly. It can be seen that the reasons for the choice of medical behavior come from the elderly's own needs and medical support policies and facilities on the one hand, and social pensions in old age on the other. At present, China should make medical insurance and old-age insurance form a synergy to meet the basic living and medical needs of the elderly in their old age and promote the health of the elderly based on ensuring the level of social old-age insurance for the elderly, the balance of the pension fund and the sustainable development of the system.

Li Yang. Medical Behavior Choices of Older Adults in the Social Aging Model. The Frontiers of Society, Science and Technology (2022) Vol. 4, Issue 8: 11-20. https://doi.org/10.25236/FSST.2022.040803.

[1] The Seventh National Census Bulletin (No. 5) [EB/OL]. http://www.stats.gov.cn/xxgk/sjfb/zxfb2020/ 202105/t20210511_1817200.html, 2021-05-11.

[2] Chinese Society of Actuaries. Health Education Readings on National Preparedness for Major Diseases [EB/OL]. http://ks3-cn-beijing.ksyun.com/attachment/b09290216822e59fb986f5fd9543eee8, 2022.

[3] Andersen R., Aday L.A.. Access to Medical Care in the U.S.: Realized and Potential. Medical Care, 1978, 16: 533-546.

[4] Andersen R., Margaret Clemens M.. Revisiting the Behavioral Model and Access to Medical Care: Does It Matter. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 1995, 36(1): 1-10.

[5] Ellis, R. P., and T. G. McGuire. Predictability and Predictiveness in Health Care Spending, Journal of Health Economics, 2007, 262: 5-48

[6] Zhou Jun, Shi Ju, Wang Xiaoqian. Analysis of factors influencing residents' choice of medical institutions [J]. Statistics and Decision Making, 2019, 35(19): 108-111.

[7] Han-Kyoul Kim, Munjae Lee. Factors associated with health services utilization between the years 2010 and 2012 in Korea: using Andersen’s Behavioral model. Osong Public Health Res Perspect, 2016, 7(1), 18-25.

[8] Hu Siyang. A study on the factors influencing the health care behavior of rural elderly people--empirical evidence from data in Gucheng and Nanyang [J]. Population and Development, 2016, 22(05): 69-74+60.99999

[9] Song Yueping, Zhang Xian. Religious beliefs and health: A study on the medical use behavior of the elderly [J]. 2021(2019-5): 71-83.

[10] D Card, C Dobkin, N Maestas. The Impact of Nearly Universal Insurance Coverage on Health Care Utilization: Evidence from Medicare [J]. American Economic Review ,2008 (5):2242-2258.

[11] Gertler P, Gruber J. Insuring Consumption against Illness [J]. American Economic Review, 2002, 92: 51-76.

[12] C Schoen, R Osborn, D Squires, MM Doty, R Pierson. How Health Insurance Design Affects Access to Care and Costs, By Income [J]. In Eleven Countries. Chinese Journal of Health Policy, 201029 (12): 2323-2334.

[13] Sun MJ, Han HW. A study of rural residents' choice of medical treatment in China--an empirical analysis from a survey of rural households in Gansu, Henan, and Guang Dong provinces [J]. Economic Review, 2013(2): 40-50.

[14] Yu Changyong. Research on disease types, medical insurance, and farmers' choice behavior of medical institutions [J]. Agricultural Technology Economics, 2017(02): 82-92.

[15] McCusker J, Karp I, Cardin S, Durand P, Morin J. Determinants of emergency department visits by older adults: a systematic review. Acad Emerg Med. 2003, 10(12): 1362-70.

[16] Liu Yiwei. Complementarity or substitution: "social old age" and "family old age"-an analytical perspective based on urban-rural differences [J]. Journal of Public Administration, 2016 (4): 77-88.

[17] Zhang Chuanchuan, Chen Binkai. Can "social old-age care" replace "family old-age care"? --Evidence from the New Rural Social Pension Insurance in China [J]. Economic Research, 2014 (11): 102-115.

[18] Zou Hong, Yu Kaizhi. Retirement and urban household consumption: empirical evidence based on a breakpoint regression design [J]. Economic Research, 2015 (1): 124-139.

[19] Shi Beibei. An empirical study on the consumption of urban and rural elderly population in China---Also on the "retirement-consumption puzzle" [J]. Population Research, 2017, 41 (3): 53-64.

[20] Jiao Na. Medical consumption behavior of the elderly under the social retirement model--an analysis based on fuzzy breakpoint regression [J]. Population and Economy, 2016 (4): 91-102.

[21] Wang Zengwen, He Dongmei. Retirement shocks, consumption dynamic expenditure changes, and consumption structure optimization---Based on the comparison of factors influencing consumption of retirees from enterprises and institutions [J]. Economic Theory and Economic Management, 2016, V36 (3): 14-30.