Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1916-09-14

ers would not America benefit by
adopting the system" To study this
question, the association, four years ago.
appointed special national committee
including among its members Miles NJ.
Dawson, leatng actuary and lawyer;
Prof. Henry r. Seager, of Columbia Uni.
versty; Or Alexander Lambert, chair
man of the judicial council of the Amer
'can Medical association; Miss Lillian d.
i'Wald, president of the National organ
i2ation for Public Health Nursing, and
Dr. Henry j. Harris. of the Library OF
! Congress. AS a result of their work. tho
committee has drafted a model health in
suranco bill, which, the secretary, DR..
John b. Andrews, announces, will he in
troduccd into more than % state Legisla-
lures next year.
According to a recent bulletin of the
United States public health service, IL
rs stated that $jOOooo,oo0 year Is los
in wages to the workers of the country
because of dlsahemcnt through sickness.
Recent Investigations show that about -
! per cent. of the popUlatiou cannot afford
to pay for private physician sickness
, is seven times more frequently cause or
dostitution than Industrial accident, yet
no American State has IA yet legislated
/ to indemnify the worker FOR this loss bY
insurance, or to provide him with medical
caro-. death rate twice MS high among
| industrial workers rs among the profes-
! sional classes indicates that industrial
conditions are the cause of much sickness
! and death.
! The model health insurance bill provide
! for the insurance of all workers earning;
less than 800 a month by Joint contribu-
tions from employers, employees and tn,
state. The funds are to he controlled by
mutual associations. and medical care and
treatment, together with cash benefits OF
tWo-thirds of wages, will be payable for
4 q maximum of % weeks i'm year A small
/ funeral benefit. maternity benefit and
medical care for the insured worker
/ family are also included in the plan
The New York Medical Journal writing
on this subject, says:
{ 1T is evident that there must be some
H. pNi5ou 81 means Of which amy worker
no matter how poorly paid may receive
proper medical attention. 1t is not oulS
matter of Importance to the man an
his family, but the entire social cConom
is affected, and for that reason all tn,
various elements must eventually take .
hand. The employer, the employees an,
the public are all concerned, and such ne
ing the case each will have to do hi
share As it is now. the public, through
its state and municipal governments. pay.
large sums for the poor ana the perma
IncntlN incapacitated. Again the prin-
rlplc of prevention can he invoked: i
would he better to provide proper relic
lat the first indication and thus lesser
the chance of future illness. The fact re
mains, however, that health insurance f.
the great mass of workers VIII he pro-
,Nided sooner or later, and also that an
additional burden will fall upon the med
ical profession. In order that this hurdct
be not unduly heavy, it is necessary fo
the physicians to interest themselves i
tine laws that will be enacted, not to OPP
pose, hut to see that they are fair to ~
concerned, so far as the medical aspect
are involved, and democratic. rather THAI
.'ucaucratic, in type. Class Legislation
" nich seeks to impose compulsory insur
auce upon wage workers as differentiated
from Salaricd workers. is essentially un
American. There is a world of differenc
between general insurance against il
health and compulsory health insurance.