AUTHOR=Wang Kai-Hua , Liu Lu , Lobont Oana-Ramona , Nicoleta-Claudia Moldovan 

TITLE=Energy Consumption and Health Insurance Premiums in China's Provinces: Evidence From Asymmetric Panel Causality Test

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=Volume 9 - 2021

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2021.658863

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2021.658863

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=This paper employs asymmetric panel causality test to address the causal nexus between energy consumption (EC) and healthcare insurance premiums (IP) for China’s different provinces. The empirical results indicate that there exist an asymmetric causality runs from positive energy consumption shocks to positive healthcare insurance premiums in Beijing, Hebei, Tianjin, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia, Shandong, Henan, and Anhui. There is no significant link in southern and northeastern provinces mainly due to their industrial structure, high economic development level, strong insurance consciousness and climate conditions. Therefore, governments should encourage technological innovation and further improve energy efficiency. Meanwhile, we need to optimize energy consumption structure and raise the proportion of renewable energies. The authorities should carry out stricter environmental protection policies, and protect people from pollution comes from fossil fuel burn. The commercial health insurance should be included in health system and become important supplement to public health insurance.