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. grant of additional cash benefits, which may raise the former rate to 10s. and the latter to 20s., may make such supplementa- tion less necessary. But these additions are not universally operative, and many Societies do in fact give their members cash benefits at the basic rates only. THE UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE BENEFITS. 52. In this connection we may be permitted to refer to certain disparities between the Health and the Unemployment Insurance Schemes. In the latter the standard rate of benefit is 18s. a week, and additions of 5s. are made for the wife and 2s. for each dependent child. Tt is difficult, in our opinion, to justify a less generous provision for the invalid than for the man in good health, whose circumstances certainly involve smaller expenditure. It is equally difficult to justify the exist- ence of two State schemes side by side, one of which recognises the needs of dependants and the other does not, in circumstances of hardship closely similar. Both schemes are designed to alleviate the distress arising from the cessation of income due to causes beyond the worker's control, and the question whether these causes are to be sought in ill-health or in the failure of employment has no bearing on the needs of dependants. It has been suggested to us by the National Association of Trade Union Approved Societies that, as a consequence of the higher rate of unemployment benefit there may be a temptation to apply for that benefit rather than for sickness benefit, even though the applicant may be incapable of work, and so fulfil the statutory condition for the latter. (Appendix XCII, 109.) In such a case he would, of course, be really disentitled to receive unemployment benefit. We have received no direct evidence on the point and, in any case, such evidence would probably be difficult to obtain. We do not doubt that this question, which primarily affects the administration of Unemployment Insurance, is fully in the minds of the officials of the Ministry of Labour. CERTIFICATION OF UNEMPLOYMENT. 53. It has been suggested to us that the machinery of the Employment Exchanges should be utilised to certify genuine unemployment with a view to excusal of arrears under Health Insurance. We are impressed with this possibility, and have received evidence from the Ministry of Labour on the subject (App. CII, Q. 23,290 to 23,895). The question arises whether, in a period of widespread unemployment, arrears of contributions due to this cause should penalise the insured person in respect of benefits granted under the Health Insurance Scheme. While it is true that the Prolongation of Tnsurance Act and the present Arrears Regulations make a temporary and partial provision for

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