长护险下乡难，农村失能照护服务短板待补︱长护险扩围探路

Core Insights - The long-term care insurance (LTCI) system aims to establish a nationwide coverage for long-term care, particularly addressing the needs of the 120 million rural elderly in China [1][2][3] - The LTCI pilot program has highlighted the significant gap in care services for rural elderly, exacerbated by funding challenges and insufficient service supply [1][2][3] - Experts suggest that the LTCI can stimulate the silver economy and lead to the emergence of branded, chain-based elderly care service companies similar to those in the UK [1][4][6] Group 1: Current Situation and Challenges - The aging population in rural areas is more severe than in urban areas, with 121 million individuals aged 60 and above, representing 23.81% of the rural population [2][3] - The proportion of empty-nest elderly individuals has surpassed 50%, with some rural areas exceeding 70%, highlighting the urgent need for care services [2][4] - The current LTCI pilot program is fragmented, with varying coverage and benefits across different regions, leading to inadequate support for rural residents [2][3] Group 2: Policy and Implementation - The government is encouraging the development of embedded and chain-type nursing institutions to enhance service accessibility in rural areas [1][5] - Local pilot programs have shown success in integrating long-term care services into existing healthcare facilities, such as transforming hospitals into care zones [5][6] - The LTCI system has expanded to cover 1.8 billion people, with over 800 billion yuan spent on benefits, creating approximately 300,000 jobs and attracting 60 billion yuan in social capital [7] Group 3: Future Prospects - The establishment of localized care service institutions is seen as a key strategy to improve accessibility and efficiency in rural long-term care [6][7] - The LTCI policy is expected to attract significant social capital investment into the nursing industry, potentially leading to the development of well-known brand chains in rural care services [6][7] - The effective implementation of LTCI will require a robust network of quality care institutions to ensure that the benefits translate into real services for the elderly [6][7]