Chapter 1075 Great Potential
In modern times, the insurance system is relatively well-developed, and one type of insurance charges premiums based on age in tiers.
Birth, aging, illness, and death are natural laws. Older people are more prone to illness, so the annual amount of money collected should be appropriately increased.
This was just Lin Yuesha's idea. After she and Hu Mian instilled it in her, she waited for Hu Mian's news.
After waiting for two days, Hu Mian finally arrived from Hujia Village in his oxcart.
"So, what's the villagers' attitude?"
After receiving the news, Lin Yuesha took her maid and went to the village entrance to block the people.
It was noon, and the fishing village canteen was open for lunch. Lin Yuesha had her maid deliver a message to Zhang Qing'er, and then brought Hu Mian directly to the canteen to eat and chat.
"Young Madam, I will go to the village chief to discuss this matter after I return to the village."
The village chief took it very seriously, and the next day the whole village gathered in front of the ancestral hall, with everyone having different opinions.
Surprisingly, women and men were the biggest supporters of universal healthcare, while older people thought it was a waste of money.
"Each person gets five coins a year. If it's a family of ten or so, it would cost several tens of coins. With a little more of that money, you could buy a decent burial garment."
It's better to die early and be reborn early than to suffer from illness in old age and cause trouble and burden to one's children.
The elderly have worked hard all their lives, and now that they are old, they still have to worry about their descendants and are reluctant to spend more money.
Lin Yuesha felt heartbroken listening to this. Her parents had no self at all; they worked diligently their whole lives, always silently dedicating themselves.
“My mother said that she is old and her health is not good, and she does not want to be a burden on her family if she gets sick again.”
After Hu Mian finished speaking, he sighed deeply.
He was incompetent, focused solely on his studies but only seeking personal gain. By the time he finally realized his mistake, his mother had already collapsed from overwork.
"So that's how it is."
Hu Mian's research did not meet Lin Yuesha's expectations and was far from what she had envisioned.
“Young Madam, although the village elders don’t approve, the young people have all said that if such a good thing happens, they will buy one for the elders first.”
The people of Daqi value filial piety. They ask for nothing more from the villagers. They hire doctors themselves, or at most find barefoot doctors in the surrounding area. Their medical skills are certainly not as good as those of the doctors arranged by the government.
Lin Yuesha lowered her head in thought. She had originally intended to set an age limit, and elderly people who exceeded this limit would receive free medical treatment.
However, upon closer examination, it is not feasible.
Since the Great Qi values filial piety, children will surely spend money on their elders, and she cannot deny others the opportunity to fulfill their filial duties.
Furthermore, she preferred to use the money she received to help elderly people who were childless, lonely, and destitute.
"Young Madam, this is the result of my statistics in Hu Family Village."
Hu Mian handed Lin Yuesha a booklet containing information about each household, including the number of people in the family and who was willing to pay for insurance.
The booklet is detailed; it took two days to investigate and interview just one village.
Lin Yuesha estimates that more than 80% of the people in Hujia Village are willing to pay for universal healthcare. They have their own demands and hope to pay on a quarterly basis.
"Miss, you've already lowered the price to five copper coins a year. How can I pay quarterly?"
One penny per person per quarter is too low, while two pennies is too high, which makes things difficult.
After calculating for a long time, Qingxing realized that these villagers were unusually shrewd, forcing her young lady to lower the price to four coins a year.
"That's not a problem."
Lin Yue-sha has long stated that universal healthcare is not for making money; on the contrary, it also aims to fill many gaps in the healthcare system.
This is a policy that benefits the people, aiming to ensure that ordinary citizens enjoy tangible benefits.
At the end of the booklet, Hu Mian clearly noted that the total amount the villagers spent on medical treatment last year was as much as three taels of silver.
Hujia Village is neither too big nor too small, with a total population of about a hundred, or several hundred people. Every single villager participated, and the premium was only a little over one or two ounces.
"Miss, how much silver will you have to spend?"
If you calculate it this way, our young lady spent nearly two taels of silver in Hujia Village. There are thousands of villages of similar size around Yingcheng. Little by little, it adds up to a considerable sum.
Qingxing frowned deeply. In Yingcheng alone, she would have to subsidize 18,000 taels of silver. The Great Qi was a vast territory, and the annual expenditure was hundreds of thousands of taels, which was even more expensive than military supplies.
The workshops in the fishing village were profitable, but such a huge expense was a strain on the finances of the young ladies.
"Qingxing, this isn't how you calculate it. On the contrary, I think there's great potential."
Lin Yuesha opened the booklet's inner compartment, where there were several yellowed sheets of paper.
Last year, the villagers of Hujia Village spent three taels of silver on medical treatment, which covered the medical expenses of five sick people.
Lin Yuesha carefully examined the prescription. Most of the medicinal herbs in it were inexpensive, with only a few more expensive ones used in very small quantities.
If someone knowledgeable in medicine prescribes the medicine, the cost is only a hundred or so coins.
A large portion of the cost of medical treatment and medicine was spent on seeing a traditional Chinese medicine doctor. Even a minor ailment like a cold would cost around fifty coins in consultation fees.
In Daqi, doctors are a special kind of craft, and their skills are basically passed down within their families, from father to son, and their medical books are never circulated outside the family.
Because of the small number of patients, medical treatment naturally costs a lot of money, and for ordinary people, getting sick can easily bankrupt their families.
"Miss, I understand what you mean."
Qi'er was the first to realize that the medicine that could be bought for a hundred or so coins had cost the people of Hujia Village several times more, with most of it ending up in the pockets of the herbal medicine merchants.
If we adopt a universal healthcare model, the procurement of medicinal materials will naturally be handled by our side. After deducting these unnecessary costs, balancing income and expenditure will not be a problem, and perhaps, there may even be a profit.
"Qi'er is right, but I dare not think about making a profit. It's best not to invest too much in the early stages."
The northern region is rich in medicinal herbs, and there are also a large number of herb gatherers.
They can cooperate with herb gatherers and purchase medicinal herbs directly from them, eliminating middlemen and their markups, which greatly reduces expenses.
Lin Yuesha has several medicinal herb fields in the Northwest, which can also come in handy.
This detailed investigation was very helpful to Lin Yuesha, and Hu Mian deserves much credit for it.
Lin Yuesha thanked Hu Mian sincerely, then returned to the courtyard and repeatedly revised the plan in her hands.
The manpower, medicinal materials, and location were relatively easy to solve. The remaining major task was to find a doctor with high medical ethics and then count the number of people in each village.
The fees are reduced or waived for elderly people living alone, while others will be charged four coins per year for the time being, or they can pay on a quarterly basis.
"Miss, aren't you worried that some people will pay for a quarter and then not get sick, giving them a false sense of security and causing them to stop paying?"
Qingxing guessed that there must be such a person.
Ordinary people have a hard time making a living. They have to stretch every penny in half. Although they may not have a grand vision, they do have their own difficulties.
"I'm not worried."
The concept of insurance is to buy protection for yourself; it's better to be safe than sorry.
Within this quarter, some people will definitely get sick and then experience the benefits of universal healthcare. This kind of news will spread from one person to ten, and from ten to a hundred, and will eventually have a positive effect.
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