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 IV. The related schemes of social welfare

Collection:: Economics Books

MAJORITY REPORT. FE “) equivalents for this purpose. The relief to the insurance funds thus resulting is allowed for in the actuarial calculation of the contribution. The system appears to work well and has the feature that it continues to place upon the employers the full financial responsibility for industrial accident and disease. MAINTENANCE OF THE POOR. 50. Turning to the maintenance aspect of the Poor Law, we have had evidence as to the supplementing of the cash benefits under the National Health Insurance Scheme by Poor Liaw relief. The Scottish Board of Health submitted a statement showing the numbers of persons in certain industrial parishes who applied for Poor Relief to supplement National Health Insurance Benefit and other resources, and stated that, from information based on the Census records, ‘‘ The indications are that for both sexes, 59 per cent., and for men, 73 per cent., of the insured persons drawing benefit applied for poor relief (App. CV, 51). The evidence furnished to us by the Ministry of Health indicates that while ‘‘ no records are available of the number of applicants for, or recipients of, Poor Law relief who are insured persons, it can only be stated that the proportion must be a substantial one.’’ The evidence from this quarter also indicates that in the two Boroughs of Reading and Halifax it was reported that 9'3 per cent. and 3'4 per cent. respectively of the persons in receipt of Health Insurance Benefit on a certain date were also in receipt of Outdoor Relief (Appendix CIV, 69). The Association of Poor Law Unions of England and Wales informed us that an insured person in receipt of sickness benefit comes to the Guardians for help simply because he has some dependants. He 1s thrown out of work and there is nothing coming in except his sickness or disablement benefit. In a case like that they are bound to come for Poor Law assistance unless they have some other resources *’ (Q. 21,673). 51. This evidence raises the fundamental principle involved in the question whether these benefits should be adequate for maintenance, or whether their supplementation by private Insurance in the case of the provident and by the Poor Law in the case of the thriftless or unfortunate is to be regarded as a permanent and desirable element in the system. The present rate of 7s. 6d. a week for disablement benefit is obviously not sufficient for the maintenance even of the single man. Tt was probably never intended to be, but was merely a basic sum such as the contribution could provide, giving an assured though small weekly payment which could be supplemented by private savings, voluntary insurance, and in other ways. The sickness benefit of 15s. is very near the margin for the single man and insufficient for the man with dependants. Tt is true that the Ad To) = BR 2

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