Population aging is a process in which the proportion of the elderly population to the total population continues to rise. According to the Third National Health Service Survey, the prevalence of disease among urban and rural residents in China has continued to increase along with the aging and urbanization of the population, and the burden of disease has continued to worsen; if seasonal influences are excluded, it is estimated that the number of times a person fell ill in China in 2003 increased by 730 million compared with that in 1993. The aging of the population mainly causes an increase in the prevalence of chronic diseases, easy complication of a variety of diseases, drug abuse and serious adverse drug reactions, etc. Moreover, the elderly are in poorer health than the general population, with more concomitant illnesses, a longer course of disease, and a greater likelihood of disability and death, and therefore have a higher demand for medical and health care, which leads to an increase in the cost of medical care.
(2) Changes in the Disease Spectrum
With the development of society, changes in people's lifestyles and behaviors, the intensification of environmental pollution, and the aging of the population, the disease spectrum has also changed, resulting in a gradual shift from infectious diseases to chronic, non-infectious diseases, such as cardio-cerebral and cerebrovascular diseases, malignant tumors, respiratory disorders, and endocrine diseases. These diseases often have long treatment cycles, many complications and high treatment costs, leading to an increase in medical costs.
(3) the wide application of high-tech medicine
With the development of science and technology, large-scale medical equipment such as color ultrasound, tomography (CT), magnetic **** vibration (MRI), digital photography, advanced diagnostic and therapeutic techniques such as endoscopy, interventional therapy, radio frequency ablation technology, hemodialysis, joint replacement, organ transplantation, and high-value medical supplies, etc., have been widely used in many large hospitals in China. These advanced diagnostic equipments and medical materials have been widely used in many large hospitals in China. The application of these advanced diagnostic equipment and medical materials has played a positive role in alleviating patients' pain, shortening treatment time and improving the quality of life, but due to the higher technical content, the price charged is often positioned higher, which has contributed to the rapid growth of medical costs.