NATIONAL HEALTH.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 98, 27 April 1937, Page 12

NATIONAL HEALTH.

N.Z. INSURANCE PLAN. FRIENDLY SOCIETIES' PART. WORK TO BE RECOGNISED. (By Telegraph.—Special to "Star.") WELLINGTON, Monday. Any steps taken in the direction of a national health insurance scheme would be taken with full recognition of the work and value of friendly societies in the Dominion, said the acting-Prime Minister, the Hon. P. Fraser, when addressing the conference of the New Zealand branch of the Manchester Unity. 1.0.0. F., which opened to-day. Mr. Fraser said that he could not imagine any such scheme that could set aside friendly societies or be carried into successful" operation without their assistance.

The Wellington district grandmaster. Bro. J. L. Stewart, in an address, said it was common knowledge that the society's records were used as a basis for calculations upon a scheme being introduced in Britain, and they had every reason to believe that organisation would be made use of upon inauguration of a scheme in New Zealand. The Scheme in Britain. The Parliamentary agent of the Manchester Unity in New Zealand, Mr. A. G. Shrimpton, grand secretary of the order, in a comprehensive survey of the scheme of national health in Britain, obtained by investigations during a visit to the Old Country, explained the operation of the system there and the basic part played by approved friendly societies. Hβ strongly urged. the adoption of a scheme in New Zealand fashioned on the same lines, the great advantage of which was that the extensive organisation, in the form of a going concern, the friendly society movement. was .in existence and had been growing in efficiency for nearly a century. The scheme of health insurance i.i Great Britain, he stated was instituted by the National Insurance Act, 1911, and provides for the compulsory insurance of substantially the whole wage-earning population of the United Kingdom. With certain exceptions, it applies to all persons in receipt of a wage or salary, at a rate of not more than £250 per annum, and to all employed manual workers, irrespective of earnings. The total number of persons insured through it in the United Kingdom is approximately 1(1,000,000.

The scheme is based on a standard contribution of 9d weekly for a man (which provides six-sevenths of the benefit), and Hid weekly for a woman (which provide* four-fifths of the benefit), and which is shared by the employer and the person insured. The employer is responsible in the first instance for the payment of contributions by purchasing stamps at a post office and stamping a card in respect of each of his insured employees between Iβ and (>."> years of age. The employee contributes his share by suffering a deduction from wages, which ordinarily leaves 4Jd to be borne by the employer.

Statutory Benefits. The statutory benefits provide: (a) Sickness benefit, defined as periodical payment during incapacity from work, caused by some specific disease, or by bodily or mental disablement, commencing on the fourth day of such incapacity, and continuing for a period or periods not exceeding 2(5 days in all. Disablement benefit is a continuation of the periodical payment at a lower rate in respect of incapacity, after the period of sickness benefit has been exceeded, and may continue, in the case of total incapacity, up to <'>■"> years of age. at which age contributory old age pensions commence.

The medical and sanatorium benefits are administered by statutory authorities known as insurance committees, created for each county or borough throughout the United Kingdom. They are composed mainly of elected repre-! aentatives of insured persons in the area, but medical men, the county, and J the Minister of Health are also represented on these committees. These bodies make the necessary arrangement* with doctors and chemists for treatment of the insured sick in their areas. From the statistics for 1033, these figures were gathered: That the accumulated funds held by 'the approved societies and/or on their behalf by the Minister of Health, was £109,832,000; that the contributions received for 1033 amounted to £22,020.000; that the interest on the accumulations amounted to £4,870,000; that Parliamentary votes in accordance with the provisions of the Act, £5,050,000; this, instead of being one-seventh or one-fifth, as anticipated, is less than one-sixth over the whole. During the year the approved societies dispensed £!»,f>oo,ooo in sickness benefits, £5,000.000 in disablement benefits, and £1.2.">0,000 maternity benefits.. During the year 15,500 doctors were attached to the scheme, receiving £(5,077,000, an average of £400 per annum, whilst £1.803.000 was paid to chemists for drugs and appliances, and £2.000,000 in sanatorium benefits. Totalling these benefits up, it will be noted they cost £25.090,000, whilst th? contributions, plus interest on accumulations, amounted to £20,890,000.

Providing a scheme which proposes to co-operate with and not supersede Friendly Societies is introduced in the Dominion. Mr. Shrimpton unhesitatingly counsels Friendly Society organisations to support the measure, and devote their energies to the retention and preservation of the Friendly Society "spirit" in the administration of it.