One unique feature of the debate is strong public
support for government intervention in health care, making
China differ greatly from many countries [20,21].
Historically, both the famous “barefoot doctors” and
the cooperative medical scheme, the predecessor of
NRCMS, were keenly promoted by the governments in the
1960s–1970s [22]. Given the governments’ past success in
the health sector, it is not surprising that Chinese people
expected for renewed government role in the 2000s