The research will produce innovations in a number of areas, as follows:

• Piloting and testing new rural health insurance arrangements including innovations in:
  • benefit packages, in particular the development of schemes such as primary and outpatient health services to reduce incidence of catastrophic health care expenditures in China and Viet Nam;
  • provider payment mechanisms – in particular options such as capitation payment for outpatient services at the village and township level health services in China, and commune health stations in Viet Nam;
  • organization and management, including measures to increase accountability and transparency;
  • government subsidies in both countries.
• A participatory approach involving major stakeholders such as policy-makers and potential/actual service users at all stages of the research in order to maximize the relevance and impact of the findings.