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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APPENDIX A. 365 The duration under National Health Insurance conditions is the longer at the younger ages, but at the older ages the Manchester Unity duration is the greater. At ages over 50 the difference is considerable, and, combined with the smaller proportion of cases, as shown in Table 2 (cols. 3 and 4), explains the relatively favourable experience at these ages brought out in Table B (M.) appended to the Report of the Actuarial Committee. The results given in Tables (8) and (4) seem consistent with the theory advanced above that the claims contain an appreciable element of ¢ linked-up ” illnesses, of relatively short duration, in regard to which the claimant has been disqualified during the year from receiving the higher rate of sickness benefit. This feature may help to explain the high figures shown in column (17) of Tables I, IT and. ITI. 10. In view of the rising cost of disablement benefit the ‘ full proportion receiving ’—Col. (4) of Table 2—and the ‘“ average duration *’—Col. (2) of Table 3—have been computed for each of the years 1921, 1922 and 1923. To indicate the run of the figures from year to year it is sufficient to give general averages for all ages. These have heen obtained for women (spinsters and widows) as well as for men, and the results are given below. TABLE 5 Proportion receiving disablement benefit. Average duration (weeks). Men. 1921 1922 018 +022 25-7 fe: 25+9 by 1923 +023 2%:5 Women (S. & W.). 1921 1922 1923 “021 +024 027 28-6 28-5 29-4 = These results seem quite consistent with the theory that disablement benefit is growing towards the equilibrium that should be represented by the maturity of the experience. The proportion in receipt of the benefit grows because the new permanent cases in which the disablement benefit stage is reached are not yet balanced by deaths. The average duration shows, as would be expected if this theory is correct, a small upward tendency. The growth in the claims of men appears to show an indication to end, but no such feature is found in the case of women. 11. Reference is made in para. 9 above to the figures shown in Col. 17 of Tables I, II and ITI. These figures show for each age group the proportion of those receiving disablement benefit in a year who have ¢ gone off the fund ”’ during the year. These proportions are very instructive, and will dispel any idea that disablement claims in all cases arise out of permanent sickness. So far as men are concerned, it appears that on the average of the years 1921-23 about 45 per cent. of all who claimed disablement benefit in a particular year at ages under 40 ceased to draw it during that year. In the case of unmarried women, the corresponding proportion is about 40 per cent. Among married women, on the other hand, the proportion is over 50 per cent. In each class the proportion ¢ going-off ”’ diminishes as ages advance, but even at ages over 60 it is about 20 per cent. 12. There is no corresponding friendly society experience with which this feature can be compared and it is impossible to form an opinion there- fore as to whether it is more prominent under compulsory insurance than under a voluntary system. In any case it seems to invite examination; it suggests that more active administration and especially an increased resort to the medical referee system might result in an earlier termination of many claims that are now prolonged for a brief period into disablement benefit. with resultant saving on both sickness and disablement claims.

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