INSURANCE ACT

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 8652, 10 February 1914, Page 5

INSURANCE ACT

ITS WORKING DESCRIBED ‘NOT NEEDED IN COLONIES.” 1’ rcss A sso ciatl ou. AUCKLAND, February 9In the course of his address on the >ritish Insuranoo Ad at tho Medical Congress to-day, Dr J. A. MacDonald indicated how the medical profession rcotaitod having this Act thrust upon it. There could ho no objection to a scheme which provided tho worker with tho cost of medical benefits, but there were many objections to a system which itself provided medical benefits. “ Let tho worker have the money,” said tho doctor, “ and let him have liberty to make a contract with any medical man ho might choose.” In conclusion, Dr MacDonald gave tlio mooting some hints as to the course to bo adopted if the profession were called upon to face an attempt to introduce such an Act here. First of all, they must bo organised, and nobody was so capable of dealing with such a question as the British Medical Association, to which every member of the profession should belong. They must, at the outset, consider their plans dearly and carefully. In tho Old Country tho doctors had issued a report which was not carefully considered, and in tho campaign this was used strongly against them. An essential part of tho campaign was a defence fund, which must ho ready before any action 'was taken. Dr MacDonald said that from his observations an Insurance Act was needed even less in the colonics tliiui it was in Great Britain,

Ono of the delegates, in the course of a question to Dr JlstoDonald, asked whether, under the terms of the national Insurance Scheme, medical men in England attending friendly society patients were not better off than medical men in Now Zealand. Horn a doctor attended a man and his wife and family, if they belonged to 1 a lodge, for £l. In England tho father, mother, and ono child would represent a return of 235.

Dr MacDonald replied that in some jases tho diroot return to tho medical man would ho as high as 7s for each

person. A delegate: “ And hero wo attend a whole family for £l.” Another delegate: “It is absurd.” A third delegate : ‘ ‘ Then why do ItP”

A further question put to the speaker was whether to some practitioners at Homo the scheme had not meant an improved income. What, for instance, ho was asked, was the usual fee charged amongst poor people. Dr MacDonald replied that there had been some improvement so far as the poorer classes wore concerned, for the usual charge for a visit in such cases had been 2s Cxi. Dr Brennan (Xmv South Wales) asked what effect tho administrotion of tho Act had had upon the English friendly societies. Dr MacDonald replied that the friendly societies had been _ led to believe that tho administration of the Act would be practically in tlloir hands. When it was discovered that there would be 14,000,000 people involved instead of four or live, that

the scope had been extended and other “ approved ” societies had been given governing power, the result was that a wonderfully organised body known as the Credential Insurance Society (which wont from door to door throughout the Old Country doing business) had by far the biggest connection. Long-estab-lished friendly societies were either already bankrupt or likely to become so Very shortly unless the Act was amended. Another question was os to how the Act affected the people who went to the hospital for free treatment. Dr MacDonald’s reply was that there

was an improvement in this direction, < and people who previously always looked for free treatment mow paid for the doctor’s advice.