Chapter 266: Masks and Escapism

As the music in the hall began to fade, the groups scattered around started to stop what they were doing and turned toward the center of the crowd.

Some who had been resting in the VIP room changed into more suitable attire for the reception and reappeared, including the Wadrick couple.

Mr. Wadrick smiled warmly at Lynch and waved; there was no trace of arrogance about him—he seemed very approachable.

But if one thought this was the whole truth, the real truth would come as a shock.

This celebration was less about the president successfully ascending to the highest seat of federal power and more like a potential… trade meeting.

Everyone present was a supporter of the president. To secure their continued backing in upcoming elections, the president had to clearly communicate what these supporters would gain in return for their past and future support.

Put simply, those who invested money and effort—and who would continue to do so—wanted to know what rewards awaited them.

This is the hallmark of the Baylor Federation: everything has a clear price tag. Every contribution is guaranteed a return.

The public refuses to believe this is true, but it is.

Only now did Lynch notice some people who had not appeared before now stepping into view, including the executive director of the federation’s largest medical group.

Since the dental medical group convinced the public to separate dental insurance from social insurance, claiming it was responsible advocacy, even larger medical groups were following suit.

They formed massive PR teams to persuade influential figures to believe their nonsense—that paying higher medical insurance premiums would yield better services and protection.

Their goal was twofold: to escape government regulation—since part of medical expenses are paid by the federal government, which closely monitors every claim—and to loosen controls on drug pricing.

For example, on the common flu, the government tells citizens that medicines priced at 19 cents, 39 cents, or 9.9 Sol are essentially the same, but only the 19-cent medicine is covered by social insurance.

If doctors prescribe drugs priced otherwise, patients pay out of pocket.

This forces the majority of citizens who want government aid to use the government-approved drugs.

This is bad for the medical groups’ profits since the difference in production cost between 19-cent and 9.9-Sol drugs is minor, but profits differ by dozens or even hundreds of times.

They want people to use the expensive drugs, not the cheap ones, and they don’t want constant government oversight.

The simplest solution is to separate medical insurance from social insurance, just like the dentists did.

If the government no longer pays medical costs, it has no reason to supervise each service and order—that becomes the insurance companies’ responsibility.

This means many people will pay hundreds or thousands of times more for illnesses once treatable with cheap medicine.

Even if the insurance groups cover half the cost, their profits remain in the hundreds-fold range.

These medical groups run TV and newspaper campaigns decrying cheap medicine, using well-known figures to illustrate the disparity in treatment between the wealthy and ordinary people.

They claim life is equal and everyone deserves better, more reliable care—not cheap treatment.

Meanwhile, increasingly greedy medical groups have formed insurance companies to profit from premiums as well.

Everyone knows medical insurance is mandatory; nobody knows when trouble will strike.

But not everyone gets sick every year, so billions in premiums go unclaimed annually.

If that money ends up in their pockets…

Seeing these people, Lynch suddenly felt he was too kind and soft-hearted.

These people are truly predatory—and the upper class knows it—but no one says it aloud, not even the federal government.

Because they know if people pay insurance themselves and medical groups bear the cost, the government saves a fortune.

Whether patients paying higher costs get satisfactory treatment is another matter.

Everyone keeps silent. In the face of huge interests, nearly everyone is the same—even the so-called Truthful President.

Besides the medical groups, representatives from major chemical companies were also present.

The chemical industry is another hard-hit sector, facing many troubles and legal disputes.

They want top-down solutions.

The best way is to back a politician for election and send him to the presidency; then he will naturally grant the chemical groups ample favors.

The music finally stopped.

The president stood at the center of the crowd, ready to address the evening’s reception.

After scanning the room and pausing briefly, he spoke solemnly, “Thank you.”

“I want to thank everyone for coming, and for your support over the years!” His voice grew louder until it filled the hall.

“Though we lost the last election…,” he smiled, “we were lucky!”

The crowd responded with warm laughter. Self-deprecating humor helps social bonds.

When the laughter died down, he continued.

“I’ve been thinking—now that I’m president, people no longer have to think about how to address me with dignity.”

The crowd smiled again. The atmosphere was good; every major figure seemed skilled at easing the mood.

“Now that I’m president, I must do what presidents do.”

“We all know the federation’s situation isn’t optimistic, and we must put aside blind optimism and face some problems.”

“If you’ve heard my previous speeches, you’ll know a particular idea I’ve emphasized: we should take on more international responsibilities. This idea came from a young man.”

“To be honest, I didn’t expect such a view from someone so young. But it also reminds us—we’ve long recognized these problems, yet we choose to pretend they don’t exist.”

“Mr. Lynch!” The president’s gaze swept the room and settled on Lynch, parting the crowd to reveal him.

Even Mr. Wadrick looked surprised. He didn’t understand why such an inconspicuous man was singled out by the president on such an important occasion.

“Mr. Lynch was the first to propose that isolation doesn’t mean abandoning all power and duties, nor does it mean shirking all responsibility.”

“That’s not the correct definition of isolation. That’s escapism and shirking responsibility.”

“I will ensure the Federation takes a greater role in international affairs. This time, we will no longer be ‘deserters.’ The mistakes we made will serve as warnings, guiding us wisely.”

For the Federation, for the people—Long Live the Federation!

The president raised his glass. Everyone followed, shouting Long Live the Federation! The atmosphere soared instantly.

Next came more private, in-depth conversations—everyone had the chance to talk with the president about issues they cared about. This was, of course, the core of the celebration.

They voiced their ideas and demands; if the president found them reasonable, he might offer some acknowledgment, but never a promise.

Besides this, the event was a high-profile social gathering, bringing together top capitalists, leading politicians, and various shadowy brokers.

Some began seeking conversation partners, while most stayed close to the president.

After dismissing two men who approached him with little substance, Lynch moved nearer to the president’s group, where a discussion was underway.

“I just spoke with the president of… recently. He highly praised our reintegration into the international community and agreed to cautiously promote bilateral trade given the current situation…”

“In the near future, we will send people abroad to inspect other countries’ investment climates and market economies, seeking business opportunities…”