Chapter 246 Medical Reimbursement Policy
It was precisely because of the influx of large numbers of immigrants and more indigenous people engaged in agricultural work that in 1907, the total grain output of Australasia exceeded 6.7 million tons for the first time. It has reached a new high in grain production since the founding of the country.
If we look at the current per capita grain consumption in Australasia, the grain produced in 1907 alone was enough to feed more than 20 million people, not to mention the various meats brought by Australasia's developed animal husbandry. and dairy products.
It is precisely thanks to more immigrants and indigenous people that the per capita cultivated land area in Australasia has increased by about 10%, and this is on the premise that the agricultural population has increased.
If we look at the population growth rate in 1907, it will take another five years for Australasia's population to officially exceed 10 million.
Before the First World War, there should have been more than 10 million. Although it was not as good as other great powers, the population problem was not that serious.
More importantly, the proportion of British people in Australasia has always been above the 70% qualifying line, which is also a major factor in Australasia's domestic stability.
Also rising are Australasia's per capita annual income. Since Arthur came to Australia, the per capita annual income in this area has been in the process of continuous growth.
By the end of 1907, the per capita annual income in Australasia had reached 43 Australian dollars, the per capita annual income in Australia was 44 Australian dollars, and the per capita annual income in New Zealand was 40 Australian dollars.
The per capita income of the two colonies, New Guinea and Timor, was 35 Australian dollars and 14 Australian dollars respectively.
Timor's per capita annual income does not have much reference value. After all, it has only been a few months since Timor became a colony of Australasia. At present, Timor's most important task is to restore order and stability.
At present, Australia and New Zealand have successively entered the happy life that people dream of. On the basis of having enough food and clothing, the medical and educational needs of Australians have also been well met.
At present, Australasians generally have savings, and a considerable number of people have small assets.
With the funding of the royal consortium, Australasia gave birth to a large number of petty bourgeoisie during this period, as well as a large number of small workshops and factories, as well as privately owned shops, stalls, etc.
These have also made a huge contribution to the economic prosperity of Australasia, and they have also driven the development of the Australasian economy in disguise.
Currently, Sydney already has three of the most prosperous commercial streets, with manufacturers from all over the world selling and promoting their products.
As Australasia's economy develops, Australasia's reputation is growing in Europe.
This is also the reason why there are more and more European immigrants in Australasia. On the premise of ensuring food, clothing, housing, transportation, and medical education, the attractiveness of immigrants in Australasia seems to be no less than that of the United States.
Of course, the most attractive thing is that not only is there no dark chocolate in Australasia, but it also has a large amount of indigenous labor, free of charge and a large amount of indigenous labor to work for.
Although it is in the form of leasing, after all, it still has enough labor to work for itself. This has allowed many Europeans who dream of becoming farmers and factory owners to realize their dreams. After all, being a capitalist yourself is much better than going to the United States and being exploited by others, right?
After all, the welfare policies for workers and civilians in Australasia have long been spread in Europe and the United States. Many people have a favorable impression of Arthur, a monarch who strives to safeguard the interests of civilians, even if he is in a free republic.
Even in countries such as the United Kingdom and Germany, which are recognized as world powers, people cannot guarantee that their treatment will be as firmly protected as those in Australasia.
Although the income of workers in Australasia is not as high as that of other powerful countries, they do not have to worry about being deducted from their wages, oppressed, or exploited.
Not only will their wages be paid on time, Australasian workers will also enjoy legal holidays, triple their overtime wages on holidays, blessings on important holidays and small gifts for celebrations.
After all, major factories have a large amount of indigenous labor that can be exploited, so they naturally do not need to take a lot of risks to exploit those workers.
The natives are so easy to use. You don't have to worry about life and death, and you don't have to worry about food when you're in a bad mood. Moreover, every time a native dies, the government will send new natives to replenish it, so there is no need to worry about not having enough natives.
After all, the area currently controlled by Australasia alone has millions of indigenous people, and the Dutch East Indies and Southeast Asia have hundreds of millions of indigenous people. Australasia is consuming indigenous people at a rate that cannot match the indigenous reproduction rate. speed.
The area where indigenous people are most frequently used in agriculture is the colony of New Guinea. The colony of New Guinea only had more than 30,000 people, but as many as 100,000 indigenous people worked in agriculture here.
The crop output of New Guinea accounts for one-third of the total output of the Kingdom of Australasia, reaching about 520,000 tons.
The crops produced in New Guinea alone are enough to feed New Guinea, Timor and New Zealand.
More importantly, New Guinea is not small, and the current development of cultivated land has only just begun.
If hundreds of thousands of indigenous people were invested in this area, it could become the great breadbasket of Australasia. By that time, New Guinea's production alone would be enough to feed tens of millions of people.
Thanks to domestic grain production, Australasia has now established one or more large granaries in every state except Timor. The largest of these is the Newcastle Granary in New South Wales, with a reserve of more than 20 grains. 10,000 tons, which can meet the food needs of millions of people for a year.
The reason why the scale of Newcastle Granary is so large is because the capital territory is not large, so it naturally places more emphasis on industrial and economic construction. The Sydney Granary in the Capital Territory only has a reserve of less than 100,000 tons, so part of the Newcastle Granary is prepared for Sydney.
All the domestic grain silos in Australasia have a combined reserve of nearly 1.5 million tons, which is theoretically enough to feed six million people for a year.
If you include Australasia's developed livestock industry, even if Australasia does not produce any food for a year, there is no need to worry about any famine.
After the grain in the granary is full for one year, it will be sold to surrounding countries in need of food, and the vacancy will be filled with new grain.
After all, it is not good for food to be stored for a long time. Not only is it easy to get mold and insects, but the taste and taste will also be greatly reduced.
Currently, annual grain exports also bring significant revenue to Australasia. Especially during the previous famine period in East Asia, Australasia's grain exports were extremely profitable.
Of course, it is precisely because of the wealth of domestic grain production and the development of animal husbandry that the value of grain and meat products in Australasia has never been high. It is really common in Australasia to eat enough food and meat. .
In fact, the number of hospitals has not changed much. After all, the construction of hospitals not only consumes a lot of money, but also requires enough experienced doctors.
But the Medical Ministry was not without any action in 1907. The Ministry of Health has promulgated a medical policy that benefits the people, which can significantly reduce people's medical pressure.
Among them, if a single medical expense exceeds 20 Australian dollars, it can be included in the scope of Australasian medical reimbursement.
The reimbursement range generally does not exceed 30%, but should be at least 10%.
If the single medical expense exceeds the local per capita annual income, the reimbursement range is generally between 20% and 40%.
If a single medical expense exceeds twice or more of the local per capita annual income, the reimbursement range is generally between 40% and 50%.
This policy mainly takes care of patients with serious illnesses, allowing the vast majority of Australasians to have the possibility of treatment when facing relatively serious illnesses.
After all, getting a serious illness is still a serious burden for Australasians at present. The vast majority of Australasian household savings do not exceed A$100.
As for treatments under 20 Australian dollars, although the government also has certain welfare policies, the reduction rate is generally less than 5%.
After all, various minor illnesses are more common. If too much is reimbursed, it will also be a problem for the government's finances.
Although the reimbursement policy does not seem that strong, it is rare in today's world.
It is precisely because of such medical benefits that Australasians are very proud of their country and government, and they always remember the changes Arthur made in their lives.
Of course, this is also an important reason for increasing the attractiveness of Australasian immigrants. Such preferential medical policies are very rare, and even top powers like Britain and Germany dare not do this.
The reason why Australasia enacted such a medical policy is because 50% of the welfare policy is funded by the royal family.
This is equivalent to the government only needing to provide half of the money. In addition, Australasia currently has a small population, so the financial burden is not too large.
But such medical benefits are very attractive to Europeans.
Even Europeans who claim to be civilized will never introduce such preferential treatment policies in their countries.
Because this is a huge burden on the country's finances, and even a little carelessness can cause the country to go bankrupt.
More importantly, perhaps the country can afford such a welfare policy, but it is easy to change from frugality to luxury, but it is difficult to change from luxury to frugality.
In the future, if the government changes and wants to cancel the policy, it will depend on whether the people who enjoy the policy agree to it.
This is also the real reason why most European countries know that doing so will greatly win over the people, but still turn a blind eye.
If the current shortage of medical supplies, especially the shortage of medicines, can be solved, most of Australasia's medical problems will be solved.
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(End of this chapter)