The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1915-01-19
SICKNESS INSURANCE.
Is Called an Accompaniment of Civili-
cation.

cation.
/ just as the safety first" movement il
the result OF liability and compensation
laws that have made il profitable for
employers to prevent injuries to their
employes, SO the movement for better.
/ ing the health Of workers must receive
| its greatest impetus as the result OF
Isickncss insurance laws that will make
! IL profitable Tor employers to keep their
employees well
This, In brief, is the principle set forth
| in an article in the weekly health re-
ports OF the United States public realth
service. A study has been made OF sick
mess insurance systems in European
countries and a system proposed for the
United States. The prediction is made
that changing conditions in the United
States viii sooner or later, as in other
countries, force the enactment OF a law
providing for sickness insurance"
The two points which are emphasized
in this article are the growing necessi-
ty for providing for the care Of workers
Who become i'll and the praeticableness
OF such a method as factor in prevent
ing sickness and the restitution which
results from sickness. The facs that so
many workers have an income INSULT
Gent or barely sufficient TO snbsist on
is evidence OF their inability to provide
tor themselves and their families in
times OF i'll health. The state and the
community can DO much 10 prevent some
conditions that breed disease, but with
mr. 80
make the workers save enough money
20 pay for adequate medical attention
and support during illness or make the
employers realize that il pays, as a sim
pie business proposition, TO prevent sick
ness among THEN employees. The result
is that a large percentage Of workers arc
helpless because Of i'll health and become
a burden on the community and the ma
ton.
To provide means to supply this lack
in the machinery OF promoting health,
a form of sickness insurance is suggest
ed in the article that will embody the
successful features OF European expert
ence and contain notifications rendering
IL applicable to American conditions
and ideals. Probably the most strik- /
ing feature of the plan is the fact that 4
IT is TO be supported and governed not /
by employers or the state alone, hut /
by insured employees. employers, com /
and the state. The funds, as
suggested, would be provided by eontri- /
buttons as follows Insured persons so 4
IL 90 % per cent; employers, 81 Is per l
cent; community or state O.per cent 4
The amount OF weekly contributions is
roughly placed az 50 cents per person /
per week from All sources The benefits,
is well as other features, are described
a. folloWsi
1t must be operated on a strictly mu.
,ual basis, with the smallest possible
'ypense tor administration On this ac-
count, insurance operated for profit
hould be- eliminated from tins field.
"The study Of the experience in the
held Of sickness insurance shows prac.
'icslly unanimoas conclusions that the
following prosisIcns are necessary 10 the
mccess Of any plan.
"ll II must h. compulsory, especially
or those. with email incomes; ~ cash I
peueiits, not 30 exceed two-thirds Of the /
.arcs. tor n period 81 not more than
y weeks in one calendar year; o. in.
'aiidity benefit elastic IN character. I
~ small death benefit sufficient 20
meet tnc ordinary expenses Of burial
nd other immediate Necessities til
medical benefits b. include medical and
urgicsl relief in home. hospital. OF san. Z
forum. a. necessary. and mcditiuc. APP
.iiances aud specialists services. includ- Z
ru ientistrv. Il