Out-of-pocket health expenditure, social protection, and life expectancy of female-headed households in China

This study explores the relationship between out-of-pocket health expenditure, social protection interventions, and life expectancy of female-headed households in China. The study was based on data extracted from the World Bank (2021) Global Financial Inclusion Index (Global Findex) and applied the descriptive statistics and the Ordinary Least Squares Regression (OLS). The results show that there is a significant positive coefficient for social protection in total households, females, and males, indicating a beneficial link between social protection programs and life expectancy in female-headed households in China. Conversely, negative coefficients for out-of-pocket health expenditure suggest that higher healthcare costs are associated with lower life expectancy, highlighting the financial strain on these households. These submissions justify the necessity for social protection interventions in improving health outcomes and addressing financial barriers to healthcare access for female-headed households in China.