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

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Chapter

Document type:: Monograph

Structure type:: Chapter

Title:: Chapter XI. Proposal for dependants' allowances

Collection:: Economics Books

MAJORITY REPORT. ji ances under the Health Insurance Scheme, there would be introduced a new factor which would operate to the financial advantage of certain Societies as compared with others and which would accordingly increase the number of influences making for deviations from the general average experience among Approved Societies. DEFINITION OF DEPENDENCY. 317. We have spoken above of allowances for dependants in general terms. It is now necessary to consider a little more closely what should be the scope of the term ‘“ dependant *’ to be adopted for the purpose of the benefit. In this connexion we would direct attention to Sir Walter Kinnear’s reply to Question 23.460. 318. The statutory definition adopted for the purpose of Unemployment Insurance is sufficiently wide to include such persons as the housekeeper of a widower who has charge of his children, or an ‘* unmarried wife.” The provision of dependants’ allowances to persons of these types is perhaps relatively simple in the case of Unemployment Insurance, as this is administered by a Government Department which is in a position to issue exact instructions to all its local branches and thereby to enforce uniformity in the distribution of benefits throughout the whole insured community ; but in regard to Health Insurance the case is otherwise. and we think that the administration by Approved Societies of dependants’ allowances in respect of such persons would be an extremely difficult matter. 319. Another consideration to which we must have regard in the case of the unmarried wife is that the granting of such allow- ances would be inconsistent with the title to a widow's pension under the Widows’, Orphans’ and Old Age Contributory Pensions Act. Many Approved Societies would, moreover, probably raise serious objection to making payments in such cases. 320. We have considered the practicability of limiting the definition to ‘‘ those persons living in the household who are dependent upon the insured person, and any of his children resid- ing outside the household.” It has, however, appeared to us very desirable to avoid any definition which would place upon Approved Societies the onus of making inquisitorial investigations into the private circumstances of a member and his household. Further, the adoption of this definition would add very materially to the administrative difficulties of the Societies, and would probably be followed by a claim from the Societies for a substantial increase in the amount allowed for administrative expenditure. 321. With regard to those cases in which husband and wife are both insured persons, we consider that the payment of dependent children’s allowances in the event of the illness of

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