1998年12月,国务院下发44号文件,决定在全国范围内进行职工医疗保险制度改革,计划用3至5年的时间,建立起覆盖城镇全体劳动者及退休人员,总计达2亿人的基本医疗保险制度。从总体上看,截至2000年底,已有3000多万人进入新的医疗保险制度,70％的地级市制定出方案,其中有些已经步入试运行阶段,可以说是体系初成。但具体而言,仍有许多地方或心存疑虑,“按兵不动”,深恐政府背上“兜底”的包袱;或“上听楼梯响,不见人下来”,放着“方案”不出台…… In December 1998, the State Council issued document No. 44 and decided to reform the medical insurance system for workers and staff across the country. It planned to set up a system of three-to-five years covering a total of 200 million laborers and retirees covering urban areas Basic medical insurance system. Generally speaking, as of the end of 2000, more than 30 million people had entered the new medical insurance system and 70% of the prefecture-level cities set out plans. Some of them have entered the pilot phase of operation and can be said to be the initial successor of the system. In concrete terms, however, there are still many places where people are still skeptical of “no action at all” and are afraid that the government will carry the burden of “going all out” or “listening to the stairs and disappearing from the crowd”.