Report of the Royal Commission on National Health Insurance

Bibliographic data

Monograph

Identifikator:: 1740277147

URN:: urn:nbn:de:zbw-retromon-132094

Document type:: Monograph

Title:: Report of the Royal Commission on National Health Insurance

Place of publication:: London

Publisher:: Stationery Office

Year of publication:: 1926

Scope:: XII, 394 S.

Digitisation:: 2020

Collection:: Economics Books

Usage license:: Get license information via the feedback formular.

Chapter

Document type:: Monograph

Structure type:: Chapter

Title:: Chapter X. Proposals for extending medical benefit

Collection:: Economics Books

grant an in ), by 5 can mend nded isfied ssible that mend ts of sured been MAJORITY REPORT, 122 CHAPTER X. PROPOSALS FOR EXTENDING MEDICAL BENEFIT. 260. In Chapter V of our Report we have described in general terms the changes in the medical aspects of National Health Insurance which we regard as ultimately desirable; and on the other hand we have indicated in Chapter VI the reasons Which in our opinion make wide and costly amendment undesir- able and indeed impracticable in the near future. In this and the following chapters we propose to deal with various Matters which we consider are of immediate practical importance, the attainment of which is, moreover, within the financial bounds Which we have regarded as prescribed for us by the general cir- cumstances of the time. It would in our opinion be regrettable if, for reasons of financial stringency, we could propose nothing beyond a series of minor amendments. But in fact we are able —without suggesting any increase in the contribution or the Exchequer grants—to propose several fundamental changes which We think will be beneficial to the insured population at large, and in addition a considerable number of amendments, not Individually of great importance, but in their cumulative effect conducive to a real improvement in the general working of the scheme. Questions relating to Approved Societies have already been considered in Chapters VIII and IX. With certain larger Matters apart from these we deal in this and the next two chapters. A large number of other questions of varying degrees of importance, the consideration of which has been forced on us by the evidence or by our general review of the Scheme, are dealt With in Chapter XIIT. 261. The first of the questions to which we now turn is that of the extension of the scope of medical benefit. In Chapter V We have indicated the nature of the evidence directed to this Question, evidence which leaves in our mind no doubt that this extension should come first in any order of priority of proposals and that such an expansion should be made if or as soon as the Decessary financial resources are available. It is unnecessary to traverse the ground again, but we may refer to two answers of Mr. Brock’s which sum up the official attitude: ‘‘ It has always been recognised that medical benefit could not continue Indefinitely to be limited only to a general practitioner service.” (Brock, Q. 23,830.) “ In 1914 provision was made in the Budget and the money was voted by Parliament for the provision of Specialist services, but that fell through on account of the War.” (Brock, Q. 28,835.) Medical benefit is at present a general prac- fitioner service ; but it cannot seriously be claimed that this is % satisfactory state of affairs. Tt means that the medical service B43: 1)9 FE 4

Access restriction

Copyright

fullscreen: Report of the Royal Commission on National Health Insurance

Monograph

Chapter

Table of contents

Download

Monograph

Chapter

This page

Image fragment

Citation links

Citation recommendation