{"id":740,"date":"2023-02-16T18:03:41","date_gmt":"2023-02-16T18:03:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wheretobuymarijuanaseeds.com\/elderly-protest-in-china-over-reduced-medical-benefits\/"},"modified":"2023-02-16T18:03:41","modified_gmt":"2023-02-16T18:03:41","slug":"elderly-protest-in-china-over-reduced-medical-benefits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wheretobuymarijuanaseeds.com\/elderly-protest-in-china-over-reduced-medical-benefits\/","title":{"rendered":"Elderly Protest in China Over Reduced Medical Benefits"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hundreds of Chinese retirees took to the streets in the cities of Wuhan and Dalian on Wednesday to protest the government\u2019s decision to cut medical benefits for the elderly.[0]<\/a><\/sup> The protest, which also spread to the coastal city of Dalian, is the latest demonstration of public frustration with the zero-Covid policy that was relaxed last year amid nationwide demonstrations and mounting costs.[1]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

Social media footage showed a large crowd of elderly protesters in raincoats and holding umbrellas rallying in front of the Wuhan city government by the Yangtze River.[2]<\/a><\/sup> Police officers in high-visibility jackets linked arms to prevent the protesters from approaching the gates.[3]<\/a><\/sup> In other clips, elderly demonstrators were seen encircling a police car, singing the Internationale and vociferously voicing slogans.[4]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

The protesters, mostly retired workers at the Wuhan Iron and Steel plant, were calling for the restoration of their medical benefits to the original level of 260 yuan (\u00a332) a month, which was cut to 88 or 82 yuan.[3]<\/a><\/sup> The cuts are part of a restructuring of the national health insurance system, with local governments reducing the amount of money deposited into personal accounts.[5]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

The protests come just as China emerges from the brutal Covid wave, and put pressure on President Xi Jinping's administration just weeks before the annual National People's Congress.[6]<\/a><\/sup> They are rooted in the reduction of social benefits for the city\u2019s elderly, who have seen their monthly allowance for medical expenses cut from $38 per month to $12.[7]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

In response to the demonstration, Wuhan authorities have yet to issue a statement, however, a report concerning the grievances regarding the health insurance reform appeared on a Chinese government website the day after.[8]<\/a><\/sup> Local authorities stated that, even though retired workers had their medical expense claims decreased, they would now be able to enjoy improved healthcare access and end up saving money.[8]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

No public comment has been made by police or government officials concerning the matter.[1]<\/a><\/sup> But a heavy police presence is visible in the footage and, in at least one instance, officers appear to attempt to restrain the crowd.[9]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

China's elderly population makes up a fifth of its 1.4 billion people, and the country\u2019s population shrank in 2022 for the first time in more than 60 years due to a demographic crisis with significant implications for the economy and elderly care.[1]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

0. <\/span>“China: Protests in Wuhan, Dalian Highlight Risk of Unrest Amid Economic Dip” Stratfor Worldview, 15 Feb. 2023, https:\/\/worldview.stratfor.com\/situation-report\/china-protests-wuhan-dalian-highlight-risk-unrest-amid-economic-dip<\/a><\/p>\n

1. <\/span>“Elderly protest health insurance cuts in China's Wuhan” erienewsnow.com, 15 Feb. 2023, https:\/\/www.erienewsnow.com\/story\/48386819\/elderly-protest-health-insurance-cuts-in-chinas-wuhan<\/a><\/p>\n

2. <\/span>“Thousands hit streets in China's Wuhan against cuts in medical benefits” ummid.com, 9 Feb. 2023, https:\/\/ummid.com\/news\/2023\/february\/09.02.2023\/thousands-hit-streets-in-chinas-wuhan-against-cuts-in-medical-benefits.html<\/a><\/p>\n

3. <\/span>“In Wuhan, thousands of retirees protest slashed medical benefits” Radio Free Asia, 8 Feb. 2023, https:\/\/www.rfa.org\/english\/news\/china\/wuhan-protests-02082023125905.html<\/a><\/p>\n

4. <\/span>“Hundreds of retirees in China take to the streets to protest cuts to medical benefits” AOL, 16 Feb. 2023, https:\/\/www.aol.com\/news\/hundreds-retirees-china-streets-protest-124626650.html<\/a><\/p>\n

5. <\/span>“Retirees in China protest cuts to health benefits” The Week, 16 Feb. 2023, https:\/\/theweek.com\/china\/1021058\/thousands-of-retirees-in-china-protest-cuts-to-government-health-benefits<\/a><\/p>\n

6. <\/span>“Retirees in China protest over slashed health benefits” Punjab News Express, 16 Feb. 2023, https:\/\/www.punjabnewsexpress.com\/world\/news\/retirees-in-china-protest-over-slashed-health-benefits–199289<\/a><\/p>\n

7. <\/span>“Social media shows retirees protesting social cuts in Wuhan, China” La Prensa Latina, 15 Feb. 2023, https:\/\/www.laprensalatina.com\/social-media-shows-retirees-protesting-social-cuts-in-wuhan-china<\/a><\/p>\n

8. <\/span>“Elderly Chinese people protest in Wuhan against medical benefits cuts” The Guardian, 9 Feb. 2023, https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2023\/feb\/09\/elderly-chinese-people-protest-wuhan-medical-benefits-cuts-covid<\/a><\/p>\n

9. <\/span>“Protests in Wuhan over health insurance underscore risks for China govt” The Straits Times, 15 Feb. 2023, https:\/\/www.straitstimes.com\/asia\/east-asia\/protests-in-wuhan-over-health-insurance-underscore-risks-for-china-govt<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hundreds of Chinese retirees took to the streets in the cities of Wuhan and Dalian on Wednesday to protest the government\u2019s decision to cut medical benefits for the elderly.[0] The protest, which also spread to the coastal city of Dalian, is the latest demonstration of public frustration with the zero-Covid policy that was relaxed last […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":739,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wheretobuymarijuanaseeds.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/740"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wheretobuymarijuanaseeds.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wheretobuymarijuanaseeds.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wheretobuymarijuanaseeds.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wheretobuymarijuanaseeds.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=740"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wheretobuymarijuanaseeds.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/740\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wheretobuymarijuanaseeds.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/739"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wheretobuymarijuanaseeds.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=740"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wheretobuymarijuanaseeds.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=740"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wheretobuymarijuanaseeds.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=740"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}