Since the financial reforms of the 1980s, Chinese government assistance to public hospitals has dropped sharply. Under the pressure of economic self-sufficiency, a chaotic fee structure has emerged, with hospitals creating their own chargeable items, setting their own levels of charges, and suggesting repeat or unnecessary examinations.
自 1980 年代中國實施財政改革後，中共政府對公立醫院的補助大幅減少，在自負盈虧的壓力下，常出現自立名目、自訂標準、建議重複或者不必要的檢查等收費亂象。