Xing Wei, director of the Social Services Research Office at the CHINA STATE PLANNER, said elderly-care pricing links the social safety net to market supply and is the key institutional fulcrum balancing public-welfare and market attributes of the sector. Pricing should neither be left entirely to market forces nor set solely by government; a scientific pricing framework should clarify the responsibilities of government, market and families, secure baseline care for the indigent and financially

Xing Wei, director of the Social Services Research Office at the CHINA STATE PLANNER, said elderly-care pricing links the social safety net to market supply and is the key institutional fulcrum balancing public-welfare and market attributes of the sector. Pricing should neither be left entirely to market forces nor set solely by government; a scientific pricing framework should clarify the responsibilities of government, market and families, secure baseline care for the indigent and financially disadvantaged disabled elderly, and guide social capital into long-term care while shifting resources toward disabled care and community/home-based services.