Transforming long-term care of the elderly in three chinese societies

Abstract

This chapter compares long-term care of the elderly (LTCE) in three Chinese societies: the Guangdong province, Hong Kong and Taiwan. LTCE is interesting in relation to the East Asian welfare regime for two reasons. First, LTCE is a pure form of welfare spending. Second, and contradicting the first point is that a defining characteristic of the Confucianism that has marked much of East Asia is respect and concern for the elderly in general and parents in particular. The chapter also discusses the ageing population in the three Chinese societies. The development of the LTC financing system and health care financing models in the developed countries are similar because OECD countries developed their LTC financing models based on the health care financing systems. According to a research report by The University of Hong Kong, health care/LTC financing mechanisms can be grouped into five categories, including tax-based, social insurance, private insurance and user fees.