Evaluating the Impact of National Essential Public Health Services Program Coverage on Hypertension Management, Medical Care Utilization and Household Socioeconomic Well-Being

Background: Launched in 2009, China's National Essential Public Health Services Program (NEPHSP) has been broadly implemented throughout the country. However, rigorous evaluations of its impact on chronic disease outcomes remain limited. Hypertension, being one of the major noncommunicable diseases targeted by the program, provides an important case study for assessing its effectiveness. Methods: We used longitudinal data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) from 2011 to 2018 to evaluate the impact of receiving NEPHSP-covered services (from 2015 onward) on hypertension management. A difference-in-difference approach with two-way fixed effects was used on a cohort of 774 hypertensive adults to estimate changes in health and socioeconomic outcomes associated with NEPHSP coverage. Results: NEPHSP participation contributed to significant increases in hypertension control (9.8%; 95% CI: 2.7-16.9%; p