The intended and unintended results of medical innovation and innovation race

IF 12.9 1区社会学 Q1 SOCIAL ISSUES

Technology in Society Pub Date : 2026-06-01 Epub Date: 2025-11-01 DOI:10.1016/j.techsoc.2025.103143

Yao Yao , Yujie Cui , Gordon Liu

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Medical innovation is vital for enhancing human health, but its rising costs raise concerns about cost-effectiveness. However, how to mitigate its economic impact often goes unaddressed. To address this issue, this study explores the impact of medical innovation on population health and healthcare spending, and examines the role of medical innovation competition in these effects. Using an instrumental variable approach with provincial-level panel data from China (2002–2019), we find that medical innovation significantly improves population health, with innovation competition enhancing this effect. Medical innovation also contributes to a higher share of healthcare consumption in GDP while reducing the financial burden on urban employee medical insurance funds, particularly when innovation competition is stronger. These findings have important policy implications, indicating that fostering a supportive environment for medical innovation and competition can enhance national health, stimulate healthcare consumption, and ease the financial pressures on medical insurance funds, especially for urban employees.

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医疗创新和创新竞赛的预期和非预期结果

医疗创新对增进人类健康至关重要，但其不断上升的成本引发了对成本效益的担忧。然而，如何减轻其经济影响往往没有得到解决。为了解决这一问题，本研究探讨了医疗创新对人口健康和医疗保健支出的影响，并考察了医疗创新竞争在这些影响中的作用。利用中国省级面板数据（2002-2019）的工具变量方法，我们发现医疗创新显著改善了人口健康，创新竞争增强了这一效应。医疗创新还有助于提高医疗消费占GDP的比重，同时减轻城镇职工医疗保险基金的财政负担，特别是在创新竞争更强的情况下。这些研究结果具有重要的政策意义，表明培育一个支持医疗创新和竞争的环境可以提高国民健康水平，刺激医疗消费，缓解医疗保险基金的财政压力，特别是对城镇职工。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Technology in Society Multiple-

CiteScore

17.90

自引率

14.10%

发文量

316

审稿时长

60 days

期刊介绍： Technology in Society is a global journal dedicated to fostering discourse at the crossroads of technological change and the social, economic, business, and philosophical transformation of our world. The journal aims to provide scholarly contributions that empower decision-makers to thoughtfully and intentionally navigate the decisions shaping this dynamic landscape. A common thread across these fields is the role of technology in society, influencing economic, political, and cultural dynamics. Scholarly work in Technology in Society delves into the social forces shaping technological decisions and the societal choices regarding technology use. This encompasses scholarly and theoretical approaches (history and philosophy of science and technology, technology forecasting, economic growth, and policy, ethics), applied approaches (business innovation, technology management, legal and engineering), and developmental perspectives (technology transfer, technology assessment, and economic development). Detailed information about the journal's aims and scope on specific topics can be found in Technology in Society Briefings, accessible via our Special Issues and Article Collections.