Relations Between Government And Peasants In New Countryside Cooperative Medical System

"It is difficult to see a doctor, but it is even more difficult for peasants to see a doctor." This is a big problem which perplexes 800 million peasants of China. There is a doggerel that it takes 10 years to get rich, but only one serious disease will almost deprive you of all the money you have, which describes a real picture of those peasants who are suffering from the lack of basic medical insurance. In October, 2002, the central government brought forth a new countryside cooperative medical system and shed light on the peasants who are perplexed by the risks of diseases. However, in the enforcement of the system, a series of problems rise up as to the relations between the government and peasants. Therefore, this thesis attempts in steps to analyze the relations between government and peasants in new countryside cooperative medical system and expects to offer some help to promote further the system.The new countryside cooperative medical system is the medical system of fanner which is main of serious sickness and mutually aid by each other, it is organized, guided, supported by the government, the farmer voluntary participate and the individual, the collective and the government finance. The new countryside cooperative medical system, as the elementary countryside medical insurance system of China society, has gone through three phases, i.e. the traditional countryside cooperative medical system, the transitional countryside cooperative medical system and the new countryside cooperative medical system. In each phase, the relations between the government and peasants differ. In the traditional countryside cooperative medical system, the government takes the responsibilities of publicizing it to the media and guiding the policies and peasants participate actively as the entities of funding. Whereas in the transitional countryside cooperative medical system, the government attaches less attention to the cooperative medication but puts more emphasis on the development of urban economy. Hence, peasants are discouraged severely, for which cooperative medical system exists in name only in spite of the conservation and reconstruction twice, which actually produce very little effect.Practice needs the guidance of theories. The second section generalizes the classical discussions about relations between government and individuals in the social welfare theories of western countries, which can be categorized into three types: the first type emphasize the social status, roles and responsibilities of individuals. Taking Adam.Smith, Malthus, Say and new liberals as representatives, this theory puts forward that social welfare issues should be undertaken by individuals, non-governmental agencies and private sectors. The government is not involved or just plays the role of a supervisor and direct economic management and interference from the government should be decreased. The second type stresses the roles, functions and responsibilities of the government. Taking New History School, Keynes, Beveridge and Fuchs as representatives, this theory attaches importance to the social responsibilities of the government and the functions of social insurance by governmental institutions. Finally the third type insists that the government and individuals take responsibilities together. Taking Freiburg Schoolas and Blair as representatives, this theory is against market liberalism yet disagrees with the interference into economy from the government, which sets a high value of common responsibilities from both the government and individuals.There are other hills whose stones are good for working jade. The harmonization of relations between government and peasants in new countryside cooperative medical system needs to borrow experiences of other countries, too. Japan, also in Asian continent, promotes the health insurance system for citizens and enforces the promotion compulsorily. While stressing the responsibilities of the government, the responsibilities of self-guarantee by citizens are also highlighted, by which the proportion of responsibilities undertaken by the government and peasants is reasonably set and thus provides a bottom line for the medical insurance of the Japanese peasants. Social medical insurance system in Germany is an enforced social health insurance, which relates fee charging to the real income, bases itself on the giant federal financial subsidies and thus protects agriculture and the interests of peasants. Britain is the earliest country to pursue the national medial insurance system, which attaches much importance to the improvement of citizens' health and thus the government makes a huge investment in the medical insurance system. Finally, as the typical representative of commercial medical insurance system, America emphasizes responsibilities of individuals and the diversity of society. The government is only responsible for the medical insurance for the old and the poor and the insurance funds are mainly from individuals and enterprises.Back to the present new countryside cooperative medical system in China, it can be seen that the will of the central government and the interests of peasants are in many conflicts and plenty of problems also exist between the local government, as the owner of health resources, and interests of peasants. In addition, low prestige of the local government, low quality of peasants and weak will to participate confront the pursuit of cooperative medical system with lots of difficulties. However, the author, by constructing a chess model of relations between the government and peasants, reaches a conclusion after the analysis that an important factor which has an impact on the new countryside cooperative medical system is the promotion of the principle of voluntary participation of peasants. It is put forward further that under the present national conditions, both voluntary participation and compulsory participation are bad for the smooth promotion of the system. Therefore, moderately compulsory enforcement, which stresses the compulsion and flexibility of the system, is encouraged. It is also suggested that the government moderately regulate the new countryside cooperative medical system truly for the people, for the benefits of the people and for the continence of the people.