Aging is a big challenge for China. Many old people lose the ability to take care of themselves, and their families often have to quit jobs to look after them. To solve this problem, China has created a special type of insurance called long-term care insurance. People call it the “sixth insurance” because it comes after the five basic types of social insurance.
On August 26, the National Healthcare Security Administration published new rules for this insurance. The rules explain clearly what can be paid, how it is paid, and how the fund should be managed. For example, home care services are now paid by the hour. Care in nursing homes is paid by the day. The insurance also covers the cost of testing a person’s disability level.
This insurance is growing quickly. It started as a trial in 15 cities in 2016. Now it covers about 300 million people across the country. So far, more than 3.3 million people with disabilities have received help from the fund.
The new rules are important for several reasons. First, they make the payment system clearer and fairer for everyone. Second, they encourage home and community care, which is more comfortable for the elderly and less costly for society. Third, strict supervision helps prevent fraud, so the fund can last longer.
An aging society brings new needs. Long-term care insurance shows that the country is trying to build a stronger safety net for its people. With better rules, more families can get the help they need to care for their loved ones.
Words to know:
- aging (老龄化)
- insurance (保险)
- disability (失能)
- fund (基金)
- community (社区)
- supervision (监管)
- fraud (欺诈)
- safety net (安全网)
长难句拆解 · 疑问词从句与定语从句
① The rules explain clearly what can be paid, how it is paid, and how the fund should be managed. 主干是 The rules explain…（这些规则说明了……）。clearly 是方式状语，插在动词与宾语之间；后面三个 what / how / how 引导的从句并列作 explain 的宾语，注意它们都是「疑问词 + 陈述语序」，不能写成 how is it paid 这种疑问倒装，这是考卷上最常见的语序陷阱。
② Second, they encourage home and community care, which is more comfortable for the elderly and less costly for society. 主干是 they encourage home and community care（它们鼓励居家与社区照护）。逗号后的 which 引导非限制性定语从句，先行词是前面整个名词短语 home and community care；从句内 more comfortable 与 less costly 由 and 并列，共用同一个 which is，是「一主两表」的省力写法。
同义替换 · 雅思阅读利器
题干与原文之间隔着一层「同义变装」。先抓信号词，再回原文找替身，定位更快更稳。本文可迁移的替换组：
- lose the ability to take care of themselves → become unable to look after themselves
- quit jobs → give up their jobs
- published new rules → issued fresh regulations
- paid by the hour → charged on an hourly basis
- cover the cost → meet the expense
- growing quickly → expanding at a rapid pace
- prevent fraud → guard against cheating
阅读自测 · 3 题
- 判断（T / F / NG） — Care in nursing homes is now paid by the hour.
- 简答（不超过 6 个词） — How many cities did the trial start in?
- 判断（T / F / NG） — Long-term care insurance is the most expensive type of social insurance in China.
参考答案与解析
- F — 原文是「home care services are now paid by the hour. Care in nursing homes is paid by the day」，题目把两个计费方式对调，属典型的「张冠李戴」式干扰项。
- 15 cities. — 原文「It started as a trial in 15 cities in 2016」，用 trial 与 2016 双线定位，答案直接取数字所在短语。
- NG — 原文只说它「comes after the five basic types of social insurance」，即「第六险」，从未比较费用高低，属「无中生有」式比较。
中文译文
老龄化对中国来说是一个巨大挑战。许多老人丧失了自理能力，家人往往不得不辞去工作来照料他们。为解决这个问题，中国创设了一种特殊的保险，叫作长期护理保险。人们称它为「第六险」，因为它排在五种基本社会保险之后。
8月26日，国家医疗保障局发布了这项保险的新规。规则清楚地说明了哪些可以报销、如何报销，以及基金应如何管理。例如，居家护理服务现在按小时计费，养老院护理按天计费。这项保险还覆盖失能等级评定的费用。
这项保险发展很快。它于2016年在15个城市开始试点，如今已覆盖全国约3亿人。截至目前，已有超过330万名失能人员获得基金救助。
新规之所以重要，有几个原因。首先，它让支付体系对所有人更清晰、更公平。其次，它鼓励居家和社区照护，这对老人更舒适，对社会成本也更低。第三，严格的监管有助于防范欺诈，让基金更可持续。
老龄化社会带来了新的需求。长期护理保险表明，国家正在努力为人民构筑更牢固的安全网。有了更好的规则，更多家庭就能获得所需的帮助，去照料他们所爱的人。