Chapter 629: Let's Collaborate and Formulate Health Insurance Regulations!
Garrett followed the elderly lady, exiting the Tower of Heaven, descending from Igor Peak, and emerging from the small train station.
Not far from there, they saw a charming little villa, whose roof continuously displayed images:
A pair of warm and clean hands, cradling a newborn baby, still attached to the umbilical cord, crying loudly.
"So, your clinic is here," Garrett said with a smile, turning his head. Ms. Exler nodded with a cheerful smile:
"Yes, not all magicians qualify to work at the peak. Having the clinic here makes it more accessible when they need help."
Next to the Tower of Heaven is another tower dedicated to curses, which also houses a branch of the clinic.
For those magicians who manage to wait until the last day of pregnancy or those who suddenly give birth due to accidents, assistance is readily available.
"Better to let them fly up here than climb the mountain, especially since the small train doesn’t operate at night…" he said with a laugh, his steps light, and soon they reached the entrance of the clinic. Cirella couldn’t wait and rushed ahead to push open the little white picket gate.
Inside, lush green grass lined a straight, flat road leading directly to the building’s entrance. The width was sufficient for two flatcars to travel side by side.
"This clinic is quite small…"
Cirella looked up, pouting slightly, and muttered her observation.
It really was small, a neat three-story building, possibly no more than 20 rooms. It even seemed smaller than Garrett’s villa.
The old lady was not offended. She turned her face slightly, gazing at the beautiful elven girl with a gentle smile, her crow's feet subtly gathering at the corners of her eyes:
"How many people do you think need to come here to give birth each year?"
"Ah... Oh?"
Miss Silver Dragon had never considered this question.
In fact, she had no idea about the number of magicians in Nevis, let alone female magicians...
Ms. Exler pointed out with a smile:
"We have ten maternity rooms here, and they are often not fully occupied. There’s no need to expand."
Indeed, it was a very small market.
Ten rooms, with each staying for three days on average, added up to just over a thousand people each year.
The fertility rate among magicians was not high!
It was completely different from Garrett's previous life, where the top maternity hospitals had every room occupied and extra beds blocking the hallways...
"If the wealthiest magicians all lined up to give birth at his place, the revenue at Love Infants Clinic would be halved instantly…"
Garrett suddenly felt a bit guilty.
Cutting off someone’s livelihood is like killing their parents; even in public hospitals of his former life, two head doctors could fight over this!
He stole a glance at Ms. Exler. The old lady pursed her lips and smiled, inviting them into a small reception room inside the clinic. They sat around a table.
A maid brought gingerbread and red tea. The old lady lifted her teacup to them gently:
"I was born just after my mother died from complications during childbirth. Living without a birth mother is hard, which motivated me to establish Love Infants Clinic, hoping to save as many mothers and children as possible…"
She looked earnestly at Garrett:
"I'm amazed by your record here. Two hundred cases, not a single death. This is something we've been unable to achieve even after so many years of effort."
Well, that's mainly because I'm building on modern medical foundations. And cesarean sections can handle many situations that natural childbirth cannot…
Garrett opened his mouth then closed it. The old lady had already continued speaking in one breath:
"I have an unreasonably big favor to ask. Would you allow me and the girls to learn this technique from you? Any conditions, any price is acceptable!"
"Don't say that," Garrett quickly interjected:
"The years of experience accumulated at Love Infants Clinic are also extremely valuable to us. We can learn from each other... If you're willing to bring your team to my place for training, I’d be very welcoming."
The old lady visibly relaxed. As the conversation deepened, Garrett learned that not every female magician could afford the high cost of magical services:
"Most of them just give birth under the care of midwives and don’t need medical spells. For those who do need spells, the council pays a part, and they only need to cover a very small portion themselves…"
"Medical insurance?"
Garrett blurted out. The old lady pondered for a moment and nodded repeatedly:
"According to your description, it does sound similar to the maritime insurance that traders use. Yes, that’s basically it…"
All magicians, regardless of gender, contribute a
portion of their income as taxes to the council. Of course, those directly employed by the council have these taxes deducted in advance.
From these taxes, the council allocates a portion to various clinics.
This funding is divided into two parts: a fixed amount for research funding, submitted annually to the council with a proposed research direction and budget;
The other part covers treatment costs, regularly accounting for how much money is used, for whom, and for what ailments, with reimbursements made by the council on a quarterly basis.
Magicians visiting these designated clinics for treatment enjoy significant discounts.
"Only treatments at clinics contracted with the council are eligible for these discounts. Mage Nordmark, is your Oak Grove Clinic on this list?"
"Ah... ha ha... ha ha..."
Garrett’s eyes darted around. His clinic, barely a year old, had indeed received funding from the council at its establishment, but he hadn't been informed about this sort of arrangement…
"Are all treatments eligible for council reimbursement?"
"That’s impossible!" the old lady said, looking at him curiously:
"Only serious injuries or illnesses warrant the use of spells. For minor ailments like colds or coughs, you can just take some medicine and let it heal slowly. How could the council possibly pay for that?"
It's about preventing excessive medical treatment not covered by insurance, meaning those costs are out-of-pocket, right? That sounds reasonable; otherwise, the council's finances would eventually be drained by medical expenses.
"How long has your clinic been operating? You didn’t know this? Oh, you’re from the Transmutation sector, and nobody told you. How did such an oddity come from there?"
Garrett: T_T
It's not that Transmutation produced such an oddity, but that I was so fascinated by Transmutation spell research that I had to force my way in...
And, magicians are mostly in their little circles; the distance between the Medical branch of Curse Magic and the Lightning branch of Transmutation is vast. Nobody told Garrett about these procedures when he opened his clinic.
"If we could come to study here, I could handle the contractual paperwork for Oak Grove Clinic to become an official service provider," the old lady said slowly and leisurely.
As the only clinic in the entire Magic Council specializing in childbirth care for female magicians, she spoke with confidence: Who would dare refuse her?
"Besides contractual arrangements, I can also help you apply for research funding and treatment costs. I can explain which treatment costs can be covered by the council and which ones the patients must pay for themselves, so you don't get taken advantage of…"
Ah, health insurance. Even in another world, one must deal with health insurance. Garrett understood too well; if you don't get your expenses approved by the insurance bureau, the hospital has to pay…
Previously, the hospital paid the majority, with departments and doctors themselves paying a smaller share. Now, it all comes out of his own pocket!
"I'd really appreciate that! —Coming here for an exchange is definitely not a problem, as long as you follow my rules—As for the cost, it's quite simple: everyone does the same, curing twenty impoverished mothers each year!"
"Agreed!"
The old lady leaned back, her wrinkles smoothing out, her face expressing sheer contentment.
Then came the teaching session. Garrett sat up straight, all ears.
He had been prepared to hear a long list of basic health insurance medications, diagnostic and treatment items, medical service facility standards, and single-disease payment details, but...
"Actually, there’s only one principle.—Serious diseases, severe injuries, the kind that could be fatal, that might require months of recovery, or lead to disability, those are reimbursable by the council. Minor conditions that can be endured or treated with medicine should be paid out-of-pocket."
"Just like childbirth, if you can manage on your own but just want to save some effort, you pay; if you can’t deliver without divine assistance, the council pays."
"But who decides that?"
"Do the healers decide? ...Hmm, the council also sends inspectors, especially divination wizards, who carry records and can sometimes recreate the situation. So, it’s impossible to falsify claims; we really don’t consider that..."
"emmm..." Garrett rested his chin in his hand:
"What about the health insurance rules for cesarean sections? After all, for some, it’s a life-or-death matter, others could go either way, and some don’t need it at all..."
"You decide that," the old lady said with a smile:
"After all, you invented it, so you set the rules."
But with only 200 cases, that’s hardly convincing. Garrett pondered for a moment, then looked at Ms. Exler:
"Can we collaborate?"
A 13th-level great mage, her clinic had been operating for how many years?
A thousand cases a year, ten thousand in ten years, thirty thousand in thirty years! Thirty thousand cases would be much more convenient to summarize and much more persuasive!
"Let's collaborate, formulate the rules together, then submit them to the council!"
Research funding secured, designated health insurance funds secured, clients secured, manpower secured...
Mission accomplished! Oh yeah!