Report of the Royal Commission on National Health Insurance

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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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Document type:: Monograph

Structure type:: Chapter

Title:: Chapter XII. Consideration of certain major problems

Collection:: Economics Books

162 MAJORITY REPORT. capitation rate, the extra attendances required for the latter group being set off against the fewer attendances required by the former. The present cost of medical benefit in Great Britain is about £9,000,000 a year, and on the assumptions indicated above the extra cost of extending benefit to dependants would be about £9,500,000 a year. 369. This is a very large sum, and one which far outruns any margin in the present contribution. Even if on other grounds it were felt that this extension merited the first place in the order of priority, the cost appears to us to be prohibitive having regard to our general views on the financial position. An addition of £9,500,000 to the charges on the Benefit Funds would mean an addition of between 2d. and 3d. to the weekly contribution even supposing that a corresponding addition to the State grant would be forthcoming. Such large expenditure cannot, we think, be contemplated in present circumstances. 370. But quite apart from cost, there are certain general con- siderations of policy which lead us to the conclusion that this extension is undesirable if it were proposed within the ambit of the present Insurance Scheme. Before we proceed to examine this matter we may give a short summary of the evidence we have received on the question. PoINTS RAISED IN EVIDENCE. 371. The Loyal Order of Ancient Shepherds (App. XLIV, 35) urge the provision of medical benefit to the dependants of insured persons and are of the opinion that this could be made a first step towards the establishment of a Public Medical Service. They express the view that insured persons would be willing to pay an increased contribution to meet the cost of this benefit. The Independent Order of Rechabites (App. VIII, 30; Q. 6310) think that the provision of medical benefit to dependants would be a distinct advantage to public health and would tend to remove the overlapping which at present exists between the Public Health Services. The Coventry Insurance Committee (Q. 12,299-12,300, 12441-12,442) state that the effect of the non-provision of the benefit to the dependants of insured persons is to set up different standards of health in the community. The Cheshire Insurance Committee (App. XXXIV, B, 21-24; Q. 12, 626-12,630) suggest an increase of the contribution for the purpose of providing medical benefit to dependants. The British Medical Association (App. XLVII, 13-15; Q. 14,845- 14,876, 14911-14913) suggest that medical benefit should be avail- able only to persons with less than a certain income, and that if this income limit is fixed sufficiently low the dependants of such persons should be included. Mr. Cohen (App. LXXVI, 6-7) urges the provision of the benefit, and points out that ““ the burden of the illness of a wife or child, borne as it is

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