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

1 MINORITY REPORT. extended to include attendance at confinement and dental and ophthalmic advice and treatment. MEDICAL BENEFIT FOR DEPENDANTS. 71. The great weight of evidence from Approved Societies and from medical and other professional organisations was in favour of the extension of medical benefit to dependants. 72. Witnesses representing many diverse interests expressed the view that if the provision of medical services to the dependants of insured persons is desirable then the absence of those services is a cost to the nation in one form or another. But even con- sidered from the narrower standpoint of National Insurance, we submit that the future value of present expenditure upon medical and treatment services to children and mothers of children may be taken into account in estimating the future liabilities of the Scheme. We, therefore, submit that medical benefit should be provided for the dependants of insured persons. Cost oF MEDICAL BENEFIT 73. The expense of a national system of medical services is difficult to estimate, but we submit that it is a fallacy to count all expenditure as cost. The state of the health of the people, young and old, is such as to be of incalculable loss to the nation, and a well-organised, comprehensive scheme must diminish the loss with increasing force. 74. The linking-up of the contemplated medical services with other public medical services would in itself effect direct economies in administration, and as experience dictated. further economies would follow. 75. We therefore look upon the expenditure on this service, not as a cost, but largely as a new channel through which exist- ing expenditure is to be diverted, with the difference that the new channel is ordered and directed to the prevention of sickness, whereas the old method is wasteful, fortuitous, and frequently comes into operation too late to be effective. 76. At this point it will be convenient to refer to the recom- mendation in the Majority Report that the first call on the margin in the contributions resulting from the proposals of the Departmental Actuarial Committee must be the balance of the cost of the present medical benefit. (para. 182). 77. Paras. 180 to 142 of Section C of Appendix I to the Minutes of Evidence review the various modifications in the rates of payment for medical treatment from 1912 to the present time. In that review it is seen that the original estimate of the cost of medical benefit was 6s. per head per year and that this amount was supplemented by an Exchequer grant of 2s. 6d. per head

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