Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-05-15
WHO PAYS FEE
FOR examination
Insurance Companies Still Doing
Business Despite Doc
tors EdiCt.
SlDELIGHTS ON CONTROVERSY
Interviews with Resident Managers of
Big Companies Which Are of In
terest TO The Public.

ttTtSl W aiiS hbhNs
Who pays the fec for examining APP
plicants for Insurance? The Titan State
Medical association, generally called
The doctors union has pledged ltsef
by resolution to so on strike ana
absolutely close down the business OF
making examinations, unless a fec OF
St is forthcoming. Their resolution
even goes to tho extent of calling a
sympathetic strike among all other
medical men, asking them in the name
OF their professional fraternity TO re-
frain from making examinations at the
cut rate price OF So.
The insurance agents reply 10 the
doctors with the declaration that It
takes less than IS minutes 10 make the
examination: that the form required is
now much simpler than that formerly
used, and that Il Is not the grasping
capitalists. whom the doctors declared
that they seek to separate from little
more OF their coin who pay the bllls,
but the people who are Insured, for each
examination figures In the general cost
OF insurance to the Insured.
ARE STILL EXAMINING.
A canvass OF the principal agencies
IN Salt Lake today developed the fact
that although the strike has been
in force for over week. they are still
insuring applicants. and are still having
these applicants examined. One and
all, they deny that they are paying any
more money on account of the Demand
OF the physicians and they even declare
that these same doctors examine men
for frateTnal society insurance at fee
of from so cents TO 81 and that the at
tempt to get S. from the old line com
panies Is merely holdup, that will not
prove successful.
NOT INVOLVED,
One company is not involved in the
controversy. This IL the National
Life, of which Geo. -. Alder is resi-
dent manager Mr. Alder declares that
his company has long paid So as Zee
because In remote districts, where APP
plicants are few, II is impossible 70
get doctors to travel around for less
money. Recently, when his company
headquarters began to discuss lowering
the price to 50. Mr.. Alder stood out fer
IS fee on the ground that II would
make It more difficult to get good
risks In this territory. So far his COM
nany has not forced the reduction In
tulH hlAuhhblA an HNlANA N'''
panies that had been paying 50 re-
Gently dropped the fee to SO, estab-
fishing the graded scale that has long
prevailed in the New York Life com
pany-
IN INTEREST OF ECONOMY.
The present trouble in Salt Lake
seems to be the result OF the gigantic
insurance controversies that have
ragged for the past two years all over
the east. The men taking out insur-
ance have been clamoring for cheaper
policies. Their unrest made Itself felt
in the legislatures 1lere new insur-
ance laws recently passed have called
for retrenchrnent In response to this
demand, the office expenses all over
the country have been cut down. ana
all needless expenditure has been UNI
dergoing "A process OF elimination.
THE SCHEDULE.
Along with other items that of the
examining fee came under fire, and
the schedule OF the New York Life was
adopted generally. 1t Is as follows
For policies up to $1,000. ..,.....S 800
For policies from 80 600 to $4,000. 900
For policies from $4,000 10 $4,000 90
For policies over $4,000. 10
In cases where microscopic exam
3nation Is required, a fee OF $40 Is added
for large policies, and So for the small
er ones, this making such examinations
worth from IS 10 1880
j. IL. MAYS TALKS.
Agency Director J. II. Mays OF the
New York Life company was the most
outspoken on the situation. we have
been paying this sliding scale OF fees
Tor over 10 years. he declared, and we
do not plan to change II. The local
agencies are powerless anyhow, and the
scale is uniform for the entire country.
We have frequently had trouble with
state associations of doctors. but the
company has never given in, and now
all the other companies are adopting
SIS schedule. In some southern states
We hired our own company physicians
ON a salary, whore physicians in gen
trail combined 10 force "a higher fee. We
havn't been forced IA this matter yet.
and we won't pay II I'm this case. IT
means n saving of 500 600 year to the
policy holders, and II would not be
looking 10 their interests 70 do anything
rise II takes a doctor about 10 minutes
TO make an examination, and he IS sure
of his fee OF 80, For the same money
he will call at II home IN any part of the
city, and take his chances az collecting.
For a fraternal Insurance company he
viii do the work for about 80 cents or
81 at the outside, and the work is about
the same so far as the time II takes Va
concerned. You see Il COSTS MS more
than the feo Tor each examination.
Counting in the risks we refuse 20 take.
II costs US about $3.50 for each EXAMINE
alton OF an acceptable risk.
MUTUAL is INDEPENDENT.
Rulon $. Wells, manager of the Nu-
tual Life. declared thai bis company
employs q physician ON n sal1ry but
Is paying for such other examinations
as are necessary, the S3 rate, and Inc