MAJORITY REPORT.

(1) Fee to midwife ...
(2) Fees to doctor for ante-natal and postnatal
 examinations (5s. each) ... bo,
(3) Fee to the doctor to cover risk of personal
attendance at confinement  ...

(4) Cash benefit

130

5. 0

1.0 40

LBD

And in the case of uninsured women only :
(5) Payment to doctor to cover other medical
attendance during the ante-natal
period, already provided for insured
women as part of medical benefit ...
The total charge on this basis would be £3 15s. 6d. in the most
common case in which the husband was working but the wife
was not. Where, however, the mother was herself an insured
Person a portion of the liability would be covered by the existing
medical benefit and the corresponding charge would be £3 5s.
If both husband and wife were insured persons one set only of
medical charges would arise, but a further 20s. would
be appropriate as a cash payment in respect of the
wife’s own insurance and the total charge would thus
be £4 5s. In this case also questions arise as to the apportionment
 of the charge between the husband’s Society and the
wife's Society. The adoption of this scheme would involve the
abolition of the present incongruous arrangement under which
In the case where the husband of an insured married woman is
Not himself an insured person her Society is required to pay to
her a double maternity benefit.
342. We referred to the Actuarial Committee the question
of the cost which would be involved in replacing the present
Maternity benefit by a provision on the lines indicated above
and the matter is dealt with in the Third Report of the Com-Mittee
 which is printed in Appendix A to our Report.
It will be seen that on the assumptions set out in the Report,
the additional cost would be such as to impose a charge of 44d.
Per week on the contribution payable in respect of men, while
reducing the charge on women’s contributions by ‘11d. per week.
If, therefore, the provision were limited in accordance with the
Proposals outlined above and further explained in the Report
of the Actuarial Committee, and if this provision were made,
the next charge on the margin in the present weekly contribution
 after meeting the balance of the cost of the present medical
benefit, it would be possible to defray it out of the present
Yesources of National Health Instrance.

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