it's very stressful. >> narrator: on top of his job, weimin had new responsibilities: taking care of a little over a month ago, my mom had a stroke. she was a manager at her old factory, but the factory was privatized. so she lost her insurance. that's very common in china these days. >> ( translated ): so it's the kids, in this case, my sister and i, who have to shoulder the cost. so far we have spent almost $6,000. but the thing is, there'll be a lot more to come. because the biggest problem is we have no idea when she'll get better, and this kind of illness is pretty expensive. >> narrator: in the country's new mixed economy, nearly 70% of chinese have no medical insurance. zhang yao was a medical resident at a prestigious beijing hospital. on his way to work, so many people were desperate for care that he could barely make his way inside. >> narrator: zhang yao's father is a traditional chinese doctor. yao has chosen a completely western training. >> ( translated ): i like working with people. so when i see my patients getting very ill, or when somebody dies, it hurts. it's hard