Promoting the adoption of local governmental policy on the reimbursement of chronic disease medicines (PAPMed): study protocol of a field-based cluster randomized trial in rural Nantong, China.

Background: Among rural Chinese patients with non-communicable diseases (NCDs), low socioeconomic status increases the risk of developing NCDs and associated financial burdens in paying for medicines and treatments. Despite the chronic disease medicine reimbursement policy of the local government in Nantong City, China, various barriers prevent patients from registering for and benefitting from the policy. This study aims to develop a behavior science-based intervention program for promoting the adoption of the policy and to evaluate the effectiveness of the program compared with usual practices.