HEALTH INSURANCE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20710, 7 May 1929, Page 9

HEALTH INSURANCE

THE NATIONAL SCHEME. A STEAD GROWTH RECORDED. (British Official Wireless.) (United Press Association.) (By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) RUGBY, Mav 4. . (Received May 6, at 5.5 p.m;) Figures compiled by the Ministry of Health show that 1,500,000 people in England and Wales are in receipt of pensions under the Contributory Pensions Act. These include the recipients of old-age pensions, widows', pensions, and additional allowances for children as part of the widows’ pensions and orphans’ pensions. Over £37.000,000 has been paid from the Pensions Fund. Figures are given showing the growth of the national health insurance scheme during the last five years. At the end of last year the accumulated funds of the scheme amounted tp £113,000,000, an increase of £9,000,000. During that period the number of insured pensions has increased from 1,000,000 to nearly 16,000,000. The total expenditure on benefits amounted last year to £29.000,000, as compared with £23.000,000 in 1024. The maternity and child welfare services have also been steadily extended in recent years, oyer 2300 centres now being in existence.