When the 12th Jilin provincial People's Congress held its 5th session, on Jan 26, a deputy made a proposal that the congress come up with more and better policies to look after senior citizens'health.

Du Min went on to say that the elderly with chronic illnesses, such as asthma, deserve better health insurance than the current one which covers only hospital expenses and most of the elderly get about 100 yuan for health care a month, but if they have to go to the hospital for treatment these people could get a reimbursement especially if they need long-term treatment and at some appointed hospitals.

File photo of Du Min (R). [Photo/chinajilin.com.cn}

Du said that senior citizens should get monthly health insurance which is usually about 3-5 percent of their pension, which can increase with age and, "After retirement, people need more health care services as they get older."

She then gave an example of how people in the 60-69 age group might get health care that amounts to 5-percent of their salary, while those in the 80-89 range can get 10 percent, then concluded, "Of course, this means greater financial support from the governments at all levels. That's quite clear."