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:: Minority report

Collection:: Economics Books

MINORITY REPORT. S01 (2) The interest of the Approved Society in the normal and the additional benefits is less narrow. In relation to the normal benefits they are concerned (a) to see that insured persons who are entitled to benefit are promptly paid, and (b) to see that no insured person is paid unless he is entitled to payment. Local Authorities, who deal with people living in their respective areas, could of course pay benefit in proper cases at least as quickly as Approved Societies, whose members may live in any one of the administrative areas of the country. Whether a payment ought to be made to an insured person depends upon the answer to the question, ‘‘ Is this person incapable of work owing to illness? ** This question is answered, in practice, by a doctor, subject to the right of the body through whom payment is made to scrutinise the doctor’s certificate, to obtain a further medical opinion, and to complain if they think that the doctor has not told the truth. Now it seems to us that the whole of these proceedings are an integral part of the medical service rendered by insurance practitioners under their contracts. The Commission are unanimous in recommending that Insurance Committees should be abolished and that their functions should be transferred to Tiocal Authorities, and we cannot resist the further conclusion that Local Authori- ties could and should take the place of Approved Societies as the Authorities through whom sickness and disablement benefits should be administered. ° (3) In relation to the payment of sums enabling an insured person to get an additional benefit :— (@) so far as the additional benefits consist in increases of the normal benefits, the Approved Society is concerned with the points already dealt with; (b) so far as the additional benefits are in the nature of medical benefit, the interest of the Approved Society is, or (as our colleagues agree) ought to be, no more extensive. They do not provide the benefits. They merely hand over to some of their members, who, if properly selected, are so selected on medical grounds, money enabling the benefits to be obtained. They are not qualified to assess the value of the services rendered for the money, and we gather that the business of securing a proper return for the sums spent on dental and ophthalmic treatment given by way of additional benefit is, in fact, receiving the attention of the Minister of Health

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