Chapter 1072 Insurance

Qi Heng looked at Lin Yuesha and offered his wife an idea.

"My lady, there will definitely be unscrupulous merchants making and selling counterfeit goods in the future. Instead of waiting for others to make their move, why don't you buy some first?"

The fishing village is a good place; they can continue to develop it, build rows of small wooden houses, and recruit talented people.

Most of the disabled soldiers brought their families to live in the fishing village. Because there were too many people and it was difficult to manage, Qi Heng planned to divide the area and build two or three more canteens.

This can also reduce the pressure on the cook.

"I've been thinking about zoning for a while now, but is it okay for me to open this makeshift workshop?"

Lin Yuesha touched her cheek; she was a person who cared about her image.

Moreover, although it is said that no merchant is honest, she runs a very ethical business and is determined not to cheat people.

If word gets out that she is the future empress and that she is openly selling counterfeit goods, she will lose face.

“By opening a workshop, we can keep costs very low and sell at a low price, making overseas goods more affordable.”

Since it's a counterfeit, it naturally can't be sold at the price of the genuine product.

Furthermore, most ordinary people don't like things from overseas; only wealthy people who have no worries about food and drink are curious about them when they have nothing better to do.

Those unscrupulous merchants evade taxes at the drop of a hat. It would be better to earn their money and put it into the national treasury for purposes such as waterway construction and disaster relief.

The capital's treasury was empty, and Qi Heng had taken over a hot potato.

"All right."

Anyway, the Great Qi belongs to Qi Heng, so he can decide what to do.

Lin Yuesha stopped agonizing and focused on picking and choosing.

"The oil paintings on the seashore are really beautiful."

Lin Yuesha unfolded the drawing paper and discovered that the papermaking industry in the outer sea was more developed than that in Daqi. The paper was thick and not rough yellow.

The oil painting, framed and hung on the wall, looks like a perfect work of art.

Indeed, art knows no borders. Lin Yuesha likes the landscape, flower and bird paintings of Daqi, and also prefers the oil paintings of Waihai with their rich colors.

"good."

Qi Heng opened a box, inside which was a gold nugget the size of a large rock—the legendary gold nugget!

Upon closer inspection, the shape of the gold dog's head resembles a pig's head, hence its high price.

"There are many natural gold mines offshore. If we could mine a..."

Qi Heng narrowed his eyes; he had his own ambitions.

The Great Qi has few gold mines; most of them were left by its ancestors. If it could mine one in the open sea and transport the gold back by fleet, it would definitely fill the national treasury.

These funds were used to purchase food, medicine, and other necessities to support the people.

“My husband, I actually have an idea.”

It's not a famine year. There's no war in the Great Qi now, and most people can eat as long as they work hard.

Lin Yuesha had seen families who sold their children; it was truly a desperate measure, a choice they had no other choice but to make. They were in unbearable pain when they made this decision.

Because medical expenses and medication can bankrupt a family.

"If it weren't for Hu Zi's mother's medical treatment, Hu Zi's grandmother wouldn't have suffered for several years while doing several jobs to pay off debts."

He didn't cheat or shirk his duties, nor was he lazy. He returned all the money he received each month, and could only afford to eat a little meat during the New Year.

These impoverished people are all burdened by the cost of medical care.

The number one problem to solve for people's livelihood is solving the problem of people's access to medical care and medicine.

Doctors held a very high status and charged exorbitant prices for their services. Even though a simple prescription could cure the illness for just a few coins, they would insist on going through countless roundabouts.

What can the people do but choose to believe?

When poor people get sick, they only have one path left: to wait for death. It's too painful.

Every time Lin Yuesha and Yan Yan chat, they are bombarded with a wave of negative energy.

Indeed, if this problem is not solved, the people will not be able to live and work in peace and contentment.

"My wife, tell me your thoughts."

Qi Heng always listened carefully to Lin Yuesha's opinions, and then the couple would discuss them together.

Qi Heng wasn't just mindlessly going through the motions; the woman he loved first and foremost received his respect.

"For example, is there such a possibility?"

Lin Yuesha used the concept of modern insurance, which is calculated per capita. Each person pays a certain amount of money every year, which can cover medical treatment and medicine for a year.

Of course, the government needed to find skilled and ethical doctors to treat the people, so a large clinic was set up for this purpose.

The clinic was located near the government office, making it convenient for patients to queue. Doctors were on duty every night to handle urgent cases.

A clinic is equivalent to a modern hospital, with consultation rooms, a pharmacy, a canteen, and a storeroom.

It was right next to the government office, so they could dispatch people to maintain order at any time.

"I know that talking is always easier than doing. I'm just proposing an idea to see if it's feasible."

Thinking about all the steps involved, Lin Yuesha also felt it was quite difficult.

First of all, finding a doctor is a problem, especially since doctors who are ethical and skilled in medicine are hard to find.

These doctors can be ranked, starting from the ninth rank and gradually upgraded.

Doctors must be given incentives to serve the people diligently; their monthly pay must not be less.

After solving the problem of finding a doctor, the next challenge was the supply of medicinal herbs. Once those issues were resolved, the most difficult part began.

The common people have never heard of such a concept, so it may be difficult for them to accept it at first.

Moreover, given the current situation, the question remains: what is a reasonable price for healthcare? If we were to implement free healthcare, the huge shortfall would be something the national treasury simply couldn't cover.

The people paid money, and this money could at least be pooled together, little by little, to pay the doctor a monthly salary and to purchase medicine and other supplies.

"My wife, your idea is excellent."

Qi Heng was surprised that Lin Yuesha had such a unique idea, and he was willing to give it a try.

The current challenge lies in persuading people to join this protection program.

"Yes, that's exactly what's bothering me."

Lin Yuesha roughly estimated that each citizen would have to pay at least five copper coins per year to enjoy the right to free medical care.

For ordinary families with a small population, spending ten or twenty coins is not difficult; it's just a matter of eating one less pound of pork.

However, most people had not separated their households and had more than ten people in each family. It was not easy for them to come up with a hundred or so coins all at once.

If you do the math, although a dozen or so people paid a hundred or so coins, it greatly increased their chances of getting sick. So this deal wasn't a loss; on the contrary, it was a guarantee.

However, a hundred or so coins is not a small amount of money; it is a relatively large expense.

“It’s alright, families with limited means can pay monthly.”

Paying one or two coins a month is negligible for ordinary people.

Lin Yuesha's starting point was quite good, but Qi Heng still had to pour some cold water on it. Perhaps the results would not meet expectations, and many people would be taking a wait-and-see approach. It would take one or two years for those who had tasted success to spread the word and gradually change the preconceived notions of others.