Hospital competition and the expenses for treatments of acute and non-acute common diseases: evidence from China.

Greater competition was significantly associated with lower total hospital charges for prostatectomies, while the opposite was true for appendectomies. Furthermore, greater competition was consistently associated with lower OOP but higher reimbursement for both surgeries. This study provides new evidence concerning the heterogeneous roles of competition in service provision for non-acute and acute common diseases. The findings of this study indicate that the pro-competition policy is a viable option for the Chinese government to relieve patients' financial burden (OOP). Our findings also provide references and insights for other countries facing similar challenges.