Insurance a cure for medical woes(2)

 On the move 

Hoping to earn a better living in the city, Li Zhiwei, another member of the Huangdi village medical insurance program, sold his house and moved his entire family to Beijing in 2002. 

In the first few years, Li opened a small restaurant near a school in the capital's Changping district. Business was good, but the government demolished many of the buildings as part of a redevelopment plan. In addition, the rent began to soar so Li and his family had little option but to move further out to the northern suburbs. Failing to find a suitable room at a reasonable rent, they dropped the idea of reopening their restaurant and began doing odd jobs at nearby construction sites. 

Because neither Li nor his wife had construction industry experience, their wages were quite low. After paying the rent and their daily expenses, plus providing funds for their student daughter, they were unable to put money aside in the form of savings. 

In May last year, Li took a heavy fall down a set of stairs at a construction site, which resulted in a broken leg and two cracked ribs. His workmates sent him to a nearby hospital for treatment, but the 20,000 yuan medical fee meant he discharged himself just a week after undergoing surgery on his leg, even though the doctor urged him to stay. 

Although Li had joined the health insurance program in his village, he didn't have a transfer agreement with the hospitals assigned by his health insurance. That meant he was unable to claim for reimbursement of his medical costs because he was treated at a hospital outside the district in which he held hukou, the Chinese system of home registration. To make matters worse, Li's boss didn't provide basic medical insurance for his employees, so Li was left to foot the bill himself. 

"We've been living in Beijing for more than 10 years, but we still don't feel as though we belong here or are part of the city. We had planned to buy a house and stop moving from district to district, but the longer we stay, the more desperate we become. The only way we can hope to become Beijingers now is if my daughter can find a Beijing husband with property," he said with a bitter smile. 

"I have often dreamed that one day I would take my wife and daughter back to our home village in glory. But now I think it may never happen," he said.