HEALTH INSURANCE

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 89, 12 October 1937, Page 9

HEALTH INSURANCE

NOT TO BE RUSHED

OPINION OF AN EXPERT

THE BRITISH SCHEME

The necessity for a thorough investiation of any national health insurance efore putting such a scheme into peration was stressed by Sir Henry irackenbury, when speaking on "Some .spects of the National Health Insurnce Plan in Great Britain" to memers of the Insurance Institute of New ealand last evening. Sir Henry said iat the question was a big and very oinplicated one, and it was no use ishing it There was a great danger £ a scheme being established in a urry, and that might result in a :hemc not working smoothly. Unless scheme could be got to work smooth- ' pretty quickly matters would get lto a chaotic state. 4 Mr. W. O. Gibb presided.

Sir Henry, who is vice-president of le council of. the British Medical As>ciatlon, and a recognised expert on ational health insurance, is at present igaged on matters pertaining to the itroduction of a scheme in New Zeand. At the outset, he said, he had -been isociated with the British scheme almost since its inception, mainly from te medical aspect He said he would Dt presume to make any suggestions i regard to New Zealand. The object of the British scheme, he iid, was to provide adequate medical .tendance and to enable a person to we means of assistance when that 3rson was ill. A question to be decided l the introduction of such a scheme as whether it should be universal or mited .to those who needed State asstance. In England it was desirableid ha thought it likely that it would * desirable in New Zealand, too—that ich a scheme should not be universal, it should be limited to certain sections ! the population. The idea of a scheme as to enable the poor man, with State id collective assistance, to get what e relatively rich man got. If a heme were Universal, it would add lormously to its cost, because one ould be doing for the wealthy perm what he was not asking for and hat he could do himself. A limited heme was less exjjensive, and did 1 the community yranted. LIMIT IN ENGLAND. In England the scheme was limited, id applied to two classes, the first ang the weekly wage earner, who as usually a manual labourer. He as a compulsory member of the heme, and was in the scheme by rean of his being a weekly wage earner, le other class was made up of clerical orkers, who were in the scheme for e medical benefits, and whose salaries ust not exceed £250 per annum, ther classes were not included be:use of administrative difficulty. They ere such people as hawkers, small opkeepers, and small fanners. The emium of Is a week was paid by e employer, who affixed stamps to card. Half the premium was deleted by the employer from his emoyees' wages; and the card was sent

to the authorities every six months so. The State, added one-seventh the total amount collected. The first 11 on the fund was for medical benes—the' attendance of a doctor and e supplying of medical necessities. >rtion of the fund was used to facilite doctors taking .post-graduate urses." The premium was slightly legs r women than for men. CASH BENEFITS. The greater portion of the fund was ed to make cash benefit payments those incapacitated and at present e weekly payment to such a man was 3. Those payments absorbed the eat bulk of the fund, and they were ministered by . approved societies nilar to the old lodges. Further, ditional cash benefits were provided jm disposal surpluses. These benes included specialist and consulta'e services, and he suggested that ch services should be included in y New Zealand scheme from the tset. In England, the fund did not ibrace the attendance of a doctor in iternity cases, but provided for antetal care. A payment of £2 2s was ide to a husband on the occasion of birth in his family, and if the man's fe was a contributor, she also reived £2 2s. In the industrial towns England it was quite common for a wife to be a wage earner, in conist to * the Iposition in New Zealand. Sir Henry explained that the fund is kept sound actuarially, and he tailed the machinery for the makl of payments. [n reply to questions, he said that payments were made to a man 10 received workers' compensation, i unemployed man was privileged to uain in the fund for a period of from months to 2 years 3 months. National alth insurance had contributed to the tter health of the people, but was t the major cause of their improved alth. He saw no reason why such a leme in New Zealand should not be a national and a contributory nature. 3n the motion of Mr. A. J. Hyder, :onded by Mr. W. T. Ikin, Sir Henry s accorded a vote of thanks for his dress.