An Lijuan, a deputy to the Beijing Municipal People’s Congress, believes valuable suggestions are often gained through direct engagement instead of office-based deliberations.
One night in 2021, An, who is also the secretary of the Communist Party of China Committee of Shougang Kuangshan Sub-district in Beijing, received a phone call from a retired resident, who expressed his concerns that his pension barely covered the high monthly medication and outpatient care expenses for his heart disease and high blood pressure. Him being diagnosed with liver cancer two years earlier had made the situation even more difficult.
An immediately consulted the regulations on basic medical insurance in Beijing. Although 70-90 percent of outpatient expenses are reimbursable for retired employees, there
