Policy changes benefit migrant seniors

As more young people find work and settle in big cities, their parents are following them to their new location to offer support, as many seniors take it for granted that they will need to help care for their grandchildren.

As of November 2020, about 264 million people in China were age 60 or older, accounting for 18.7 percent of the population, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

Policymakers and government departments have recognized that more seniors are traveling to cities. As a result, they have increased related policy support so this older migrant population can better integrate into new living environments.

During my interviews, I learned that convenient medical services and social activities are the most important issues for older people when they move to big cities, because they are used to ease of access in terms of visiting a doctor or chatting with their neighbors.

In recent years, many policies and measures have been introduced from the national level to various provinces and cities to introduce preferential treatment for seniors across a wide age range.

Local governments have also been refining policies to provide seniors who have moved to cities with an equal level of services in fields such as related care and medical treatment.

As of June, 315 planning regions had introduced cross-provincial direct settlement of general outpatient fees, covering 70 percent of such areas nationwide. Meanwhile, further reform of the medical insurance system is underway.

In February, 15 government departments, including the National Health Commission, jointly published the Healthy Aging Program for the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) to respond to the aging population and meet its needs.

Although all aspects of society are working to help migrant seniors, there are still many areas where improvement is required to facilitate adaptation to social developments and the seniors' needs.