Chapter 930: The Old Man's Praise

Su Yang took a deep breath and followed Old Zhou into the office.

This was his first time entering the office of such a high-ranking leader; upon entering, although he had adjusted his mindset, he inevitably grew nervous again and even subconsciously wanted to hide behind Old Zhou.

He thought, waiting for Old Zhou to speak first and greet the leader, then he could follow up with his own greetings; he even wondered whether this leader would be like the provincial and municipal leaders, making them stand aside while he read documents for half a day—if so, he would feel even more nervous, because this place was unlike others; not only him, but even Old Zhou likely felt a bit uneasy.

However, what he didn't expect was that this old man he saw every day on the news broadcast was actually very kind and amiable.

"Weiguo, you've come. Don't stand here—go sit on the sofa opposite; there's tea leaves, help yourself to some tea."

Then the leader fixed his gaze on Su Yang: "Comrade Su Yang, I finally get to meet you. At the end of last year, comrades often mentioned you to me, saying your rank isn't high but your fame is great; some people have spent their whole careers in the Discipline Inspection Commission, taking down many corrupt officials, yet they haven't earned the reputation you have as an 'officialdom killer'."

"But in my view, that's not a bad thing. In our country, same-level discipline inspection commissions struggle to oversee the top leader, sometimes not even the second-in-command; many places are just nominal, which worries us, as the top leader's power is invisibly magnified. Only someone like you, a hotheaded youth, would dare to fight violations of discipline and law without reservation, even against the top leader, showing no fear—such spirit is commendable; you should keep it up."

"Don't listen to what they say, and don't think that over time people will view you negatively; as an old comrade, I can assure you that as long as you do what's right, stand with the people, and act for the organization and the people's interests, you can act boldly."

"If someone gives you trouble, if someone abuses power for personal gain, if someone bullies with power, if the strong oppress the weak, you can fully go to your young father-in-law to complain; I don't believe he would ignore you, and if he does, you can certainly come here to file a complaint against him."

After saying all this, Su Yang felt much more relaxed inside, and even the stern-faced Old Zhou showed a hint of a smile.

Old Zhou said: "Leader, you say that, but this kid might become arrogant, and he could really stir up some big trouble later, which we won't be able to settle. Within our system there are some unwritten rules that cannot be challenged, and we can only try to abide by them as much as possible."

The old man said: "You, don't act so cautious here. In the province you've carried out bold reforms, fearlessly taking on challenges."

"Moreover, some rigid conventions ought to be broken, because certain rules aren't good rules at all; people merely abandon or compromise them due to the pressure of their official hats and vested interests. This is what comrades call 'following the good flow,' but in my view it's cover‑up, it's crime."

"Of course, the problem we face is precisely because the vast majority of comrades go along with the flow, acting as well‑meaning but ineffective people, allowing some to wield their power to the extreme, rendering same‑level discipline inspection commissions ineffective as overseers."

"Therefore, I think we need more comrades like Su Yang to ring the alarm bell, impose legal provisions, put a tight‑binding spell on them, so they know someone is watching them."

"Oh, right—I've said all I wanted to say, so calling you here has lost its purpose. Comrade Su Yang, please say a few words as well."

"The last time I heard comrades talk, you had some ideas about the nation's economic development; after our research and demonstration, we found it feasible, so you count as having offered suggestions for our country's development, making a great contribution."

"This time, I also want to hear whether you have insights in other areas; of course you can continue discussing macroeconomic regulation and development—if you have ideas, speak up boldly, don't fear being wrong. It's not the mistake in expression I fear, but having no ideas at all, being useless and just occupying a post."

Su Yang pondered a moment and said: "I want to talk about medical affairs. Over 80% of our country's population are farmers; this generation has made huge contributions to our nation's development—from the early state projects to later grain requisitions, and even now they plant grain on a large scale, giving our country basic food security."

"Yet they work diligently without receiving the respect and security they deserve. Today's topic is precisely this security—grain farming merely fills their stomachs, providing no extra income and unable to improve their economic conditions."

"But the ensuing problem is that when they fall ill, the money they spend in hospitals is the same as that of urban residents, factory workers, and state cadres, yet their income is nowhere near that of other groups."

"Thus many people don't value their health highly, which affects their lifespan and leaves them suffering from illness. The root cause? They can't afford medical care, resist going to the hospital, and even when feeling unwell they dare not get checked because they can't pay. In my two years of grassroots work I have indeed seen many such ordinary people."

"So I wonder if we could establish a medical security mechanism; of course, this mechanism isn't purely free. Each person would contribute five to ten yuan per year according to their actual situation into a medical account."

"The core of the medical insurance system is the 'law of large numbers' and 'mutual aid'; it pools everyone's funds into a 'fund pool', and when a few people fall ill and need huge medical expenses, the pool's money shares the burden."

"This mechanism ensures that when anyone faces a health risk, they receive financial support instead of bearing alone a heavy burden that could crush an entire family."

"With medical technology advancing and the population aging, medical costs keep rising; without medical insurance, a serious illness could drain a family's savings for years, and even the vast majority could only watch helplessly."

"Besides basic medical insurance, we need complementary major illness insurance and medical relief systems. When an individual's out‑of‑pocket expenses exceed a certain threshold, major illness insurance automatically triggers 'secondary reimbursement', providing stronger protection for disadvantaged groups. Medical insurance reform, by establishing an outpatient mutual aid protection mechanism, strengthens outpatient reimbursement benefits, encourages timely medical visits, and prevents minor ailments from becoming major ones."

The old man listened, nodding frequently, and asked: "Why choose medical insurance rather than free medical care?"

Su Yang said: "Implementing medical insurance instead of completely free healthcare is the optimal choice based on our nation's large population, level of economic development, and other conditions. For a country with over a billion people, free healthcare would impose an unbearable fiscal burden on the state; total free provision is unrealistic and would also create problems."

"For example, it easily leads to waste of medical resources, low service efficiency, and the 'big pot rice' phenomenon, possibly worsening the 'difficulty seeing a doctor, long queues' issue, and at the same time would recreate a privileged class; ordinary people, even with the policy, would not enjoy those benefits."

"Meanwhile, the medical insurance system, through joint funding from individuals, workplaces, and the state, can provide a relatively high level of protection—for instance, hospitalization reimbursement ratios can reach 70‑80%—and, via payment‑mechanism reform, guide rational resource use, making it more sustainable and efficient."

"To enjoy medical insurance, individuals must pay the corresponding fees, while the state needs to establish a series of safeguards to ensure equal reimbursement and settlement timing for everyone, which can be realized at the hospital's settlement window."

"In short, this is a medical insurance policy that benefits all the people; I've thought of this much, but surely there are inaccuracies and insufficient detail."

The old man laughed and said: "You spoke very well; first, this idea is good, and it also conforms to our country's basic conditions, addressing a pressing problem that urgently needs solving."

Then he turned to Zhou Weiguo and said: "Weiguo, you've really found a treasure; this kid hasn't disappointed me, and has even brought me a surprise far beyond expectations."