Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1910-01-21

POWERLEss
Pres. Taft Suggests Uniform
Legislation For Insurance
he SUGGESTS MODEL Law
Physician Points Out How
the Medical Directories
May Contribute to a Bet
ter State of the Public
Health.
HE SUGGESTS MODEL LAW

Washington, d. C.. Jan. 20.-Presi-
dent Taft today, addressing the an
nual session of life insurance presi-
dents. held out no hope for the en-
actment of federal law to govern
companies. and he advised the insur-
ance men 10 bend their efforts to OBJ
tain uniform legislation in the states.
The United States may not find in
the constitution the right To render Il
uniform insurance business" said the
president. Certainly, the supreme
court seems to have settled that ques-
ton. Your only recourse. therefore.
is To obtain such common action by
the states that the result will be sim
liar To single federal act controlling
the business.
The only function that the United
States can perform is To pass 4 model
law in the District of Columbia and
show what congress believes To be
the best kind OF an insurance law"
The life insurance companies of the
United States have a vast mine of
original informatian that could be-
utilized to promote public health.
and they have also an army of l00.-
900 trained men to make effective
ard widespread use of this inforuna-
tion, according to DR. Edwin w.
Dwight of Boston, Mass.
',Ipr more than sixty years the life
insurance companies of this country
have been storing up ammunition
and developing an organization which.
If properly used. would be almost suf-
ficient in itself to turn the tide in
the battle for public health in favor
of the forces of scientific effort he
said.
After stating that the forty compa-
MES doing business in the United
States who are represented in the as
sociation of life Insurance medical
directors have S0.000 medical examin-
ers and 10000 agents situated in ev-
cry nook and corner of the country,
DIR. Dwight continued:
"The only line of medical endeayor
with which / am familiar. where er-
rOrs may be correctly checked up:
where mistakes of diagnosis are
proved without the assistance of the
rarely permitted autopsy; where treat
ment in the future may he definitely
based upon the results of the past.
is that found in the medical depart
ment of life insurance companies. For
over a year a committee of the Med
ical Directors association has been
developing plans for collective in
vestigation of the experience of all
American life insurance companies.
Last fall we We're joined by a COM
mittee of the Actuarial society. and
in October we were so fortunate as
TO be able TO report that all of the
companies connected with our two
associations had agreed to join in an
investigation. which. in extent and
Importance, has. ! believe. never been
equaled in the past and which. ! be-
lieve. will never cease in the future.
IF this material is so arranged and
tabulated as to answer only those
questions which are of immediate inn
portance to life insurance. the COM
panies will gain much: a value great
ly beyond the cost. but not nearly all
that they should. while the public
will gain nothing. If. however.
broader policy is pursued, a policy
which will add nothing or little to
the expense. but greatly to its pos
sibilities. a mass of material will be-
come aNSlidDle. winch, III properly
handled. will serve to settle once
and perhaps for all time-many of,
the most vexatious problems which
are now disturbing the minds of
those most interested in public health
and preventive medicine. l believe
that this investigation will be ham
died in this broader and more COM
prehensive way. 1t is proposed in this
work to cover the ground from 1870
to 1910, and include the experience
of all American life insurance COM
panies Aconservative estimate of
the number of lives which will be in
vcstigated is fifteen million
at is perfectly possible to make
all of this material available and to
furnish n properly controlled vehicle
for it's transmission to your forces in
the field. and through them to the
people in every portion of our coun-
Try without an expenditure OF one
dollar of n poiicyholder's money"