Elderly in China protest changes to health insurance in rare show of dissent

Large groups of older people protested in two Chinese cities this week over cuts to medical benefits, in a rare public show of dissent.

HONG KONG — Large groups of older people protested in two Chinese cities this week over changes to their health insurance, in a rare public show of dissent.

On Wednesday, a crowd of mostly older people confronted police officers near a hospital in the central city of Wuhan, according to videos posted on social media and geolocated by NBC News.

Under the health insurance changes, which in Wuhan were announced late last year and took effect Feb. 1, more employer contributions will go into a collective pool of funds rather than individual savings accounts.

In a statement this month explaining the changes, the government of Wuhan said they would benefit everyone in the long run, particularly when it comes to general outpatient treatment. Protesters say the changes will increase expenses for healthy older people who don’t spend enough on doctor visits to meet the reimbursement threshold.

Care for the elderly has become a growing challenge in China, where the population declined last year for the first time in decades. As the population ages, there are fewer workers to pay for the pensions and other benefits that retirees expect the state to provide.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/china-protests-elderly-retirees-medical-benefits-cuts-rcna71142

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