目的: 分析我国中西部农村地区医疗救助基金缓解因病致贫的非线性关系及原因。方法: 利用2010年—2018年中西部地区省级农村医疗救助基金数据,基于面板平滑转换模型。结果: 我国中西部农村地区医疗救助基金对农村居民因病致贫具有显著的非线性关系和双门限非对称特征。当各省农村居民人均可支配收入占当年全国农村居民人均可支配收入的比例为195.70%时,发生了非线性转换。在中西部低收入农村地区,医疗救助基金对农村因病致贫的影响并不显著;但在相对高收入农村地区,反贫困效果显著。结论: 中西部低收入农村地区较低的医疗救助基金无法获得较强的反贫困效果。建议对中西部低收入农村地区和相对高收入农村地区实施不同的医疗救助政策,以此提高医疗救助基金的反贫困效率。

Objective: The paper analyzes the non-linear relationship and reasons of rural medical assistance fund in alleviating poverty caused by illness in China central and western regions. Methods: Based on the PSTR model, the paper applies the data of China central and western Regions from 2010 to 2018. Results: The rural medical assistance fund in China central and western regions has a significant nonlinear relationship and a double threshold asymmetry characteristic to the rural poverty caused by illness. When the per capita disposable income of provincial rural residents accounted for 195.70% of the per capita disposable income of China rural residents, a nonlinear transformation occurred. In China central and western low-income regions, the impact of medical assistance funds on rural poverty caused by illness is not significant, however, in high-income regions, the anti-poverty effect is significant. Conclusion: The relatively low medical assistance fund in China central and western low-income regions can not form a strong anti-poverty effect. It is suggested that different medical assistance policies should be implemented in China central and western low-income regions and high-income regions to improve the anti-poverty efficiency of medical assistance funds.