Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-02-22

Surely the working classes should
have gone wild With delight.
The opposition that grew between
the Introduction of the act and its
coming into operation was so power
full that no Minister. save David
Lloyd George. could have withstood it.
For to-day there are nearly fifteen
millions secured against the disabih-
ties of those who may succumb
through lack of proper medical care
in sickness, or sink for lack of food
during unemployment, or wither from
lack of means in old age.
The Benefits Received.
Health Insurance. Every insured
person upon requiring it receives
medical benefit, sickness benefit, dis
ablement benefit. maternity benefit
and what may be called additional
varying benefits The medical benefit
includes free medical treatment and
medicine and certain kinds of surgi-
cal appliances The insured person
has the choice of his own doctor from
the panel of the doctors in his dis
trict.
The medicines are supplied by the
DRUGGIST in accord with instructions
and prescriptions from the doctors,
who hand them over the counter free
of charge. The druggist then sends
the bill TO the Government. No medl-
cine is forbidden because of cost.
1t seems unlikely, therefore, that
there is at this moment human be-
ing in the United Kingdom who is not
some time or another being treated
by a medical man. IT has been
great endowment for the doctors.
TIE sickness benefit is a payment
Of $3.50 per week to men and Sl.9e to
women up to &c weeks in which the
person is disab led by sickness If at
the end of rs weeks the beneficiary
has not recovered. he or she draws
s1.25 per week during the rest OF life.
under the insurance act, up to 10
years of age; after that il Is paid
through the postoffice as an old-ase
pension.
The maternity benefit is a payment
OF $3.50 10 a woman toward the cost
of her confinement, il she is either
an insured worker herself or the wife
of an insured worker. If she IS both
she gets sl5 maternity benefit.
The insurance against unemploy-
ment is. as follows: All persons are
guaranteed by the state payment OF
sl.9O per week for fifteen weeks in
the year in case they are genuinely
unemployed for lack OF work in their
trades. eThe highly organized 'ex-
changes enable the insurance COM
missioners to keep good track of this)
The greatest care has to be taken to
guard this benefit from abuse.
Tuberculosis,
There is no enemy. more rightly
dreaded by the working classes than
the great white plague.
Under the insurance act provision
has been made for the building Of
sanitaria in all parts OF the. country.
adequate to treat properly all cases of
consumption among those who come
within its scope
While the insured person is reoeiv-
ing treatment at the sanitarium, the
sick benefits are paid in cash,to those
at home. so that not merely is the pa
tent given chance TO hght his en-
envy in a proper environment, and not
merely is the danger of infection re-
moved, but the home can be kept to-
gether The results of this method
will tell nightly in the next ten or
twenty years
Further, it must be remembered
that many who did not visit the doc
tor until perhaps half lung had
been eaten away viii now visit him
instantly when they find their cough
unvielding. In that way, this insur-
ancet act will do great deal toward
the world ambition Of stamping out
consumption by detecting it in pa
TENTS in the early stageS
over three hundred thousand w6nn-
en- have applied for and received the
maternity benefits during The last
twelve months, and what that has
meant in ease and comfort to those
who above all others should have
them at such a time can be imagined.
The act has proved an astounding
success The opposition TO il is
heard no more, and II the Government
were turned out of office tomorrow
,rs act viii remain upon thE statute
book.