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 9: a 16. The third argument is that the transfer to Tiocal Authori- ties of the administration of benefits paid in cash would result in a greater equalisation of liabilities over the insured popula- tion as a whole than is secured under the present system. The present association of insured persons in Approved Societies is inimical to the interest of those persons as a whole, and to the interest of employers and taxpayers who contribute to the cost of the system, because in practice it encourages the process by which the members composing the healthy groups get most (by way of additional benefits) in return for their contributions, and the least healthy least. Under the Approved Society System it is, in our opinion, impossible to use the whole resources of National Health Insurance to the greatest advantage of the insured popu- lation as a whole. 17. The object of a ‘‘ national * health insurance system must presumably be, not to supply cream to the fat and skim milk to the lean, but good milk fo all insured persons. 18. It 1s already an accepted doctrine of local government that the inhabitants of a given town or county have such com- munity of interest with each other that those who are able can properly be called upon to pay for services which others need. A system based upon the historic administrative areas of ‘the country has, therefore, the indefinable but important advantage of enlisting the support of local sentiment and local patriotism. 19. Where the local community of interest in a public service stops, and the interest of the community as a whole in the efficiency of the service begins, that fact is recognised by the payment of a contribution by the taxpayer in aid of the cost of the service. 20. The fourth argument is that the transfer of the work of Approved Societies to Local Authorities must, if it had any effect of this kind at all, improve and not weaken the possibility of putting into operation the provisions of the Act of 1911 which were designed to enable the burden of cost resulting from exces- sive sickness (that is, sickness which could and should have been prevented) to be put upon the right shoulders. 21. Tt is clear from Sections 15 (7), 22 and 68 of the Act of 1911 (now Sections 85 and 107 of the 1924 Consolidating Act), and from the statements made in Parliament on the introduction of the Bill, that the framers of the measure intended their scheme to be intimately connected with the other health services, and enquiry and action were to be possible wherever bad environment induced ill-health. Thus action could be taken wherever the conditions or nature of employment, bad housing or sanitation, insufficient water supply, or, indeed, heglect on the part of any person or Authority to enforce the law relating to public health or housing was involved.

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