Video | What are the remaining challenges to fully implementing long-term care insurance? Expert analysis

How does the third-party assessment system ensure fair distribution of long-term care insurance benefits?

By the end of 2028, the long-term care insurance system will basically achieve full coverage nationwide. What difficulties still need to be overcome in fully implementing long-term care insurance? Experts say that it is necessary to further improve the professionalism of long-term care services and accelerate the establishment of an objective and scientific third-party disability level assessment system.

After ten years of pilot programs, the total number of designated long-term care service institutions nationwide has reached 12,000, with approximately 370,000 practitioners. Most of them are rural migrant workers in their forties and fifties. The next step in fully implementing long-term care insurance will also require strengthening the standardization and professional development of the caregiver workforce.

Guan Bo, Researcher at the National Development and Reform Commission’s Macroeconomic Research Institute: According to data, there are currently 35 million disabled elderly individuals. If we assume that one-third of them are moderately or severely disabled, it means that 10 million families will need corresponding social support.

Wang Zhen, Researcher at the Economic Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences: There is a need to further improve the capacity to supply long-term care services. Long-term care is different from daily housekeeping services; it is more specialized, involving some medical care services.

Accelerate the establishment of an objective and scientific third-party disability level assessment system.

To avoid the issue of ineligible individuals improperly receiving long-term care insurance benefits while eligible individuals do not receive effective protection, experts suggest that it is necessary to accelerate the establishment of an objective and scientific third-party disability level assessment system to accurately determine who can receive which level of long-term care insurance benefits.

Liu Yuanli, Professor at Peking Union Medical College: It is essential to accelerate the establishment of a basic social security system for long-term care based on assessments of disability status and family economic capacity, so that elderly individuals without self-care ability can receive timely assistance.