"The long-awaited reform plan was agreed by China's State Council, or cabinet, on Wednesday. Wen Jiabao, the prime minister, who visits the UK next week, presided.

According to state media, the authorities will spend 850 billion yuan (£85 billion) over the next three years to "make medical services more accessible and affordable for ordinary people".

"China will take measures to provide basic medical security to all Chinese in urban and rural areas and to improve the quality of medical services," said Xinhua, the state news agency.

The government is aiming to cover 90pc of the population by 2011, with each person allotted 120 yuan for health care costs from 2010.

A catalogue of widely-used drugs will be produced and distributed under government control starting from later this year. A new social insurance agency will be established to pay for medicines and treatment. Finally, a pilot programme is in the pipeline to reform the management and operations of public hospitals.

Xinhua said there was "growing public concern" at soaring medical bills, a lack of access to decent services and low medical insurance coverage.

Free health care was abolished in China in 1994, a decision which made decent medical care unaffordable for the majority of the population at a stroke.

Currently, China has 22 per cent of the world's population, but only spends two per cent of the global health care bill.

There has been a decade of underfunding, and the World Health Organisation said China is near the bottom of a 191-country table in terms of how much of its public spending went on health care. The WHO said two-thirds of China's residents currently have to pay for all their health services.

As a result, the majority of Chinese rarely visit a doctor or seek hospital treatment. The ministry of Health said in 2003 that half of all the people it surveyed had never asked for medical treatment.

Presently, roughly two-thirds of China's city dwellers and only one-fifth of its 800m rural residents have medical insurance. Meanwhile, around 177 million are now suffering from high blood pressure as diets and working practices change.

Providing universal health care is seen by many economists as a way to stimulate the economy, since Chinese families will feel less need to save their money and may increase their spending."

Writerbuckeye wrote: Of that 30 percent w/o coverage -- how many are young and healthy and CHOOSE to spend $$ on cell phones, TVs, vacations, meals out, and other "necessities" rather than buying a basic health care plan?

2quik4u wrote: it was a joke...

2quik4u wrote: it was a joke...

dwccrew wrote: China probably could afford to do that, their economy is booming at the moment.

2quik4u wrote:

Wow that is pretty amazing that China is going to be able to give health care to 90% of its 1.3 billion people by 2011, while the U.S. only covers 70% of its people. China plans to spend 85 billion over the next three years to pay for this. Each person will be given 120 Yuan which works out to be $17.57 in U.S. dollars. lol China is pretty amazing hopefully they will be setting a good example for us to follow.

tk421 wrote:

Exactly, but let's force them to buy insurance and give the "evil" insurance companies more profit. Everyone hates the insurance companies, but Obama wants to mandate 30-47 million more customers for them. Hmmm? :rolleyes:

Little Danny wrote: "Evil" Insurance is the new "Big" Tobacco and "Big" Oil. The dems target themm and their mouthpiece (the media) pounces. How come nobody ever mentions other institutions with a larger monopoly like "Big" Education??

jmog wrote: The lefters and the media want people to believe that everyone hates their insurance company, but I don't.

My insurance company has been just great.

Also, I'm so sick and tired of hearing about the "evil" insurance companies profits.

A typical health insurance company's profit margin is less than 5%, most around 2 or 3% barely making a profit, or 2 cents for every dollar they bring in.

jmog wrote:

tk421 wrote:

Exactly, but let's force them to buy insurance and give the "evil" insurance companies more profit. Everyone hates the insurance companies, but Obama wants to mandate 30-47 million more customers for them. Hmmm? :rolleyes:

The lefters and the media want people to believe that everyone hates their insurance company, but I don't.

My insurance company has been just great.

Also, I'm so sick and tired of hearing about the "evil" insurance companies profits.

A typical health insurance company's profit margin is less than 5%, most around 2 or 3% barely making a profit, or 2 cents for every dollar they bring in.

cbus4life wrote: Lol @ Belly always claiming that "global" anything is a fraud when 3 factories in China are producing his product.

Belly35 wrote:I’m ready to start production and to bring some of the specialized programming instrument to the USA for custom customers. To do this I need low interest loans, stimulus funds, grants but do you think I can get support to create job 7-14 jobs in the next 4 years by our government……NO

Why because that would be Capitalism

Belly35 wrote:

cbus4life wrote: Lol @ Belly always claiming that "global" anything is a fraud when 3 factories in China are producing his product.

I hate what I have to do to provide income for my family and the families of my employees. But I do it because I’m an entrepreneur, risk taker and dream of being wealthy, producing a product, ownership and the challenge of creating something new.
Why do I do business with China ..do the math:
I wanted to create this new product in American ….my cost tooling, design, prototypes, engineering etc…….$300,000.00
China same same ……. $120,000….. It get better (The Middle Man) we will call him and China both funded $30000.00 each to the project if I agree to the manufacturing at those three plants…. so now my cost is $60000.00 ……
I still maintain quality control and produce integrity.

I have also created in the programming of this product (via and outside local individual) the ability to be modified the programming of this instrument. I control the e prom code what ever that is and the chip on the PC board. This modification was created so I could later be able to take pieces and parts of what China is doing and make a specialized product for custom design equipment and produce this in the USA. …create high programmable instrument at high profit and provide higher paying job opportunities.

I’m ready to start production and to bring some of the specialized programming instrument to the USA for custom customers. To do this I need low interest loans, stimulus funds, grants but do you think I can get support to create job 7-14 jobs in the next 4 years by our government……NO

Why because that would be Capitalism

cbus4life wrote:

Belly35 wrote:

cbus4life wrote: Lol @ Belly always claiming that "global" anything is a fraud when 3 factories in China are producing his product.

I hate what I have to do to provide income for my family and the families of my employees. But I do it because I’m an entrepreneur, risk taker and dream of being wealthy, producing a product, ownership and the challenge of creating something new.
Why do I do business with China ..do the math:
I wanted to create this new product in American ….my cost tooling, design, prototypes, engineering etc…….$300,000.00
China same same ……. $120,000….. It get better (The Middle Man) we will call him and China both funded $30000.00 each to the project if I agree to the manufacturing at those three plants…. so now my cost is $60000.00 ……
I still maintain quality control and produce integrity.

I have also created in the programming of this product (via and outside local individual) the ability to be modified the programming of this instrument. I control the e prom code what ever that is and the chip on the PC board. This modification was created so I could later be able to take pieces and parts of what China is doing and make a specialized product for custom design equipment and produce this in the USA. …create high programmable instrument at high profit and provide higher paying job opportunities.

I’m ready to start production and to bring some of the specialized programming instrument to the USA for custom customers. To do this I need low interest loans, stimulus funds, grants but do you think I can get support to create job 7-14 jobs in the next 4 years by our government……NO

Why because that would be Capitalism

So, "global," in your case, is not a fraud?

cbus4life wrote: It is "global" because we're taking advantage of conditions in another part of the world.

I admire your business, you savvy, your hardwork, etc., but i guess i was just confused about where you stood on the whole "global" thing.

Carry on.

believer wrote:

dwccrew wrote: China probably could afford to do that, their economy is booming at the moment.

If we stay at 10% unemployment in the U.S. those Chinese boom times won't last much longer.

Meanwhile BHO insists that we all need nationalized health care we can't pay for while the far more pressing need of jobs creation continues to be ignored.

No wait....I forgot. Harry Reid says we only lost 36,000 jobs last month so that's good.

Guess we're free now to force government mandated health care on the American people. After all Social Security and Medicare have served us well right?

Its served millions of our citizens very well. Word 10-12 yrs ago was both would be broken by now
The internet is making doom and gloom easy to spread.

Title I. Quality, Affordable Health Care for All Americans
Shared Responsibility

The Act asks everyone to take responsibility for improving America’s health care. In order to lower costs for all Americans and extend coverage to people with pre-existing conditions, all Americans who can afford to purchase insurance will be asked to.

Those who are uninsured add over one thousand dollars to the average premium of families with insurance. This added cost covers emergency room care for Americans without insurance. To help bring costs under control for all Americans and cover all Americans with pre-existing conditions, all Americans who can afford insurance will have the responsibility to purchase it.