Money Keeps Piling Up No Matter How Much I Spend

Chapter 208

Translator: Dreamscribe"Kwangwoon is doing what?"

UHIP.

It was the largest insurance association in the United States.

Whenever insurance companies wanted to lobby politicians, they had to go through UHIP, and every top-tier insurance company was a member.

That was why people called UHIP by another name.

The massive Insurance Cartel.

"Apparently, Kwangwoon is planning to establish an insurance company that will operate in both Korea and the United States."

Now it made sense why the association had suddenly called an emergency meeting.

A new stone had come rolling in to push out the ones already set in place.

The problem was that this stone was far too massive.

"Well, Kwangwoon is the frontrunner of the financial cartel, isn't it? And it's not just finance. Their business extends in every direction, so isn't it stranger that they're only entering the insurance market now?"

Kwangwoon entering the insurance business was certainly threatening enough to the people in this room.

But honestly, it wasn't surprising.

A company of Kwangwoon's caliber could step into the insurance game, the so-called cash cow, whenever it wanted.

"If this were just a conventional market entry, I wouldn't have called this meeting."

Carlson, the Association Chairman of UHIP, wore a grim expression.

"Kwangwoon plans to recruit members at the lowest prices available in the US and Korea, under the banner of helping vulnerable populations. On top of that, they intend to partner with the Aiden administration's Aiden Care to expand their coverage."

"The lowest prices?"

"Yes. Prices we couldn't dream of competing with. Their plan is to poach every last one of our valuable customers that way."

Even hearing all that, no one in the room felt a real sense of crisis.

"Isn't it supposed to be only for vulnerable populations? Looking at these documents, it seems like they're trying to run a charity. Besides, if they slash prices that much and start handing out payouts left and right, isn't Kwangwoon the only one that loses? Why should we stop them from burning through their own money?"

"For now, they'll dress it up as charity work for vulnerable populations. But this is Kwangwoon we're talking about. Everyone here knows exactly what kind of company Kwangwoon is, don't they?"

Kwangwoon's very existence was a cartel.

It wasn't strong because it allied with others.

On its own, by sheer size alone, it was already enormous.

"You think Kwangwoon is really setting up an insurance company to help vulnerable populations? That's nonsense. If anything, they'd exploit them, not help them. Anyone can see this isn't the kind of company that lets itself be taken for a fool."

A company that would do anything to make money, to generate profit.

Even if it meant endangering countless lives, Kwangwoon wouldn't bat an eye.

"There's no way a company like that would pull a stunt this insane out of genuine concern for the vulnerable."

Judging by the documents alone, what Kwangwoon was doing was indeed insane.

Charging only minimal premiums for vulnerable populations and covering their hospital bills?

Anyone could smell the conspiracy from a mile away.

"So this is nothing more than bait?"

"Yes. Kwangwoon hasn't suddenly become a saint who helps people. This is just about building a narrative. And isn't that what makes Kwangwoon so terrifying?"

Kwangwoon was exceptionally good at crafting its image.

The public had no idea just how fearsome a group Kwangwoon truly was.

Only those within the industry had any clue.

The problem was that even when the truth was exposed, nobody listened.

"Part of it is that Kwangwoon has a stranglehold on social media and the press. I've also heard they're running all the major online communities as well. So even if someone tries to blow the whistle, the posts get buried. They never surface on social media or in the news, of course."

"The bigger problem is that even if something did get out, people wouldn't believe it. There have been so many conspiracy theories about Kwangwoon, and they all sound so outlandish to outsiders that people just dismiss them as fiction."

That, too, was likely something Kwangwoon had engineered.

Flood the public with conspiracy theories and at first people find them intriguing, but eventually they write them all off as fiction.

"No matter how many hundreds or thousands of times you tell people that Kwangwoon is pulling every trick in the book to dominate the world, they just don't listen."

"On top of that, Kwangwoon does so much charity work that to the average person, they're practically an angelic corporation."

And that was exactly what made them so insidious.

Wasn't this precisely what the Bible described, a devil wearing an angel's mask?

"At first, they'll play the media angle, saying they're only taking in vulnerable populations, building that image. Then at some point, they'll start accepting regular customers too. At rock-bottom prices, no less. Normally, a company couldn't sustain those costs and would suffocate, but Kwangwoon is different. They have the strength to hold out until every other insurance company withers and dies."

Kwangwoon was the kind of entity that couldn't survive without monopolizing every field it touched.

Their plan was clearly to strangle the competition on price and take over the entire insurance industry.

"But why? Why is Kwangwoon suddenly trying to take control of our insurance industry?"

"I've heard Kwangwoon is currently planning a major project, and it appears to be directly linked to this insurance venture. If they seize control of insurance, people will have no choice but to do whatever Kwangwoon tells them in order to get treatment."

"Those vicious bastards!"

In a way, one might say they were a company perfectly suited for the insurance industry.

Everyone knew how ruthless the Insurance Cartel could be, after all.

"So what are we supposed to do?"

"We stop them. Either we block Kwangwoon's entry into the insurance market on grounds of market disruption, or if we can't prevent their entry, we make sure the hospitals under contract with us refuse to accept Kwangwoon Insurance. We have to stop Kwangwoon no matter what."

Everyone agreed with the Association Chairman's position.

When a newcomer was rolling in to push out the established players and steal their livelihoods, who in their right mind would just sit back and watch?

"But, Association Chairman... what if, just what if, Kwangwoon genuinely set up this insurance company out of a sincere desire to help vulnerable populations?"

At those words, the entire meeting room erupted in laughter.

"What a fantasy. There's no way Kwangwoon would do that. Why would those devils help people?"

"Well... you're right. Ha ha."

"Regardless, mobilize every connection you have. If we can't stop Kwangwoon from entering the insurance market, we'll end up just like every other company they've swallowed."

* * *

I wanted to help as many people as possible.

With abilities this extraordinary and having earned this much money, I believed it was heaven's will that I use it to make a real difference in the world.

"Is this the statistics report?"

"Ah, yes, CEO-nim. These are the statistics on health insurance in the US and Korea."

Korea had one of the best health insurance systems in the world.

So much so that many people praised it, saying the country was blessed just for having it.

Minimal premiums for top-tier benefits.

But the United States was the polar opposite.

People had to pay hundreds to thousands of dollars a month in premiums, and without insurance, they'd be saddled with hospital bills running into the hundreds of thousands.

Even those who had insurance could end up at an out-of-network hospital, rendering every premium they'd ever paid completely worthless.

"On top of that, the claim denial rate has apparently doubled compared to 2022."

"Doubled?"

"Yes. Premiums have been skyrocketing, and at the same time, denial rates have climbed right alongside them. That's not all, either. The major insurers have been aggressively adopting AI systems lately. Whether or not to approve a claim is now being decided by AI."

I tilted my head at that.

No matter how much AI had been advancing lately, could it really handle the entirety of such a complex insurance process?

"The error rate is reportedly as high as 90 percent. Despite knowing this, the insurance companies are still using that version of the AI. That's why denial rates keep climbing."

They called the Insurance Cartel a pack of devils.

Now I understood why.

"Vulnerable populations, in particular, often have no insurance at all. The Aiden administration has been pushing enrollment through Aiden Care. But the problem is that laws differ from state to state and coverage varies so widely that many people end up receiving no benefits at all."

That was because of the Insurance Association's interference.

If Aiden Care gained traction, it would cut into their profits, so they lobbied to prevent people from receiving its benefits.

"They're truly no different from devils."

"Yes. Premiums go up, denial rates go up. And as the gaps in coverage widen, drug addiction spirals further out of control."

Treating drug addiction required going to a hospital.

But when insurance companies refused to cover hospital bills, treatment became impossible.

On top of that, if patients didn't use the medications recommended by the insurer, those claims would also be denied.

The problem was that most of the painkillers provided by insurers were opioid-based, and that was precisely what drove so many people into addiction.

"What about Korea?"

"Korea is still far better off than the US. The national health insurance system has provisions in place to take care of vulnerable populations as well. Of course, despite that, there are still many people struggling."

Since this was a pilot operation, the plan was to focus most intensively on Korea first.

Shouldn't one's own country come before any other?

"And here is a list of the companies registered with the Insurance Association currently dominating the US market. I've organized them by revenue, highest first."

How should I put it.

Looking at this list felt like reading off a roster of demons.

Just as I was about to skim past it and move on.

"!?"

A thundering sound that rattled my entire body echoed through my skull.

"CEO-nim?"

"Are you feeling dizzy again?"

Before the staff could overreact, I steadied my shaking head.

"I'm fine."

What was that sound just now?

It had sounded like a gunshot.

"...?"

But after that sound, the company names listed in the document began flickering with color, each one shimmering individually.

The red energy radiating from every single one was deeply unsettling.

"......"

I touched each company on the list, one by one.

My instinct sent sensations through my fingertips, as if whispering to me.

Having honed this instinct for so long, I could tell what this kind of feeling meant.

"Could you look into the stock prices of these insurance companies for me?"

* * *

AI was definitely changing the world.

These days, it seemed like every other product had AI slapped onto it, and systems everywhere were shifting to AI as well.

Even automated AI screening was being actively adopted at airports, a sign that the world was gradually revolving around AI.

But that automated AI screening was far from infallible.

Just as there were places where AI's capabilities were needed, there were also places where human judgment was indispensable.

Insurance was one of them.

And yet, corporations drunk on money were shoving automated AI screening into insurance, driving denial rates through the roof.

"......"

A man wearing a hood pulled over his head stood alone in a hotel bathroom, taking deep breaths.

He had steeled himself over and over before coming here.

But now that it was time to act, his hands trembled uncontrollably and his heart pounded.

Should he stop now?

No. It had to be now or never.

Click-.

He pulled a 3D-printed gun from his bag.

Then he loaded three prepared bullets into the magazine, one by one.

On one bullet: Delay (postponement).

On another: Deny (rejection).

On the last: Depose (deprivation).

He had written one word on each of the three bullets.

"Hoo..."

Having readied himself, the man stepped out of the bathroom and headed for the lobby.

Sure enough, his target was standing right there.

The CEO of the largest insurance company in America, and the central figure in the automated AI screening controversy.

The man drew the gun from his pocket.

When his own back had been shattered and he writhed in agony.

When his mother had been hospitalized and begged, pleaded for her life under the crushing weight of those monstrous medical bills.

The insurance company hadn't listened to a single word. They'd slapped them with an automated AI denial and stripped away their rights, just like that.

"......"

No matter how deep the grudge, pointing a gun at another person was never easy.

Sweat trickled down his forehead and blurred his vision, but the fury that had built up over the years outweighed the guilt of taking a life.

Bang-!

Three gunshots rang out across the hotel lobby.