The State Council Information Office (SCIO) holds a press conference on advancing the high-quality development of healthcare security to better serve Chinese modernization in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 4, 2026. (Xinhua/Zhang Xiaoyu)
BEIJING, Sept. 4 (Xinhua) -- China's long-term care insurance system now covers more than 320 million people, with the fund's cumulative spending reaching 114.2 billion yuan (16.85 billion U.S. dollars), a health insurance official said on Friday.
More than 4.6 million people have received care services under the program, said Wang Wenjun, deputy head of the National Healthcare Security Administration, at a news conference held by the State Council Information Office.
To date, 22 provincial-level regions have issued implementation plans for the program, Wang said.
The number of localities where the scheme has been established reached 121, and the figure is expected to rise to 247 nationwide by the end of this year, he said.
As an important part of China's social security system, long-term care insurance provides care services or financial support to people who have partially or completely lost the ability to care for themselves. The scheme helps cover their basic daily needs and related medical care, easing the burden on both them and their families.
The program is also a priority under China's five-year plan for improving medical security as the country responds to its rapidly aging population. At the end of 2025, China had 323.38 million people aged 60 or older, accounting for 23 percent of the population. That figure is projected to exceed 400 million by around 2035.
China aims to have the long-term care insurance system in place nationwide by the end of 2028, according to a national plan to implement the program.
Provisions on long-term care insurance were added to the recently adopted law on healthcare security by Chinese lawmakers at a session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress.
The law specifies that a long-term care insurance system should be established and improved. It also stipulates that the relevant authorities under the State Council shall formulate specific measures for the financing, benefits, fund use, and supervision of long-term care insurance. ■
