Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-02-10
NEXT STEP IN
SOCIAL JUSTICE
Health Insurance for Working
men--Governor Mccall, of
Massachusetts,, Urges 1t.
Labor Favors 1t
BY RAYMOND G. FULLER


or the Russell Sage College OF Practical Arts
MASSACHUSETTS, after four years Of
1Nl very successful experience with work.
mems compensation. Is now considering the
adoption of compulsory health insurance,
the form OF social insurance most likely
10 Follow workmen's compensation In the
favor Of the American public The pros
poets for the passage of n health insurance
bill by the present Legislature of the old
Bay state are, at least. moderately bright,
| and II will not be surprising n Massachu-
sets leads the way In this country In the
extension Of the Insurance principle TO social
eVlls such as Illness, old age, unempoy-
| ment. The social evil OF Industrial acct
dents is already more or leas adequately
taken care OF by the compensation laws
In operation in more than three -fourths of
| our Commemorative. The next step In the
| establishment Of a comprehensive social
insurance is the adoption OF health in
| surance laws. which. though they will differ
| In many important respects from our pres
ent compensation laws will embody the
| same principles.
Several States besides Massachusetts are
| taking UP the health-insurance proposal in
| earnest, and whether or not the study and
discussion of the subject result in definite
| legislative action this year. the study and
| discussion are in themselves worth while,
Governor McCalls definite and straight
| forward pronouncement in favor of health
| proved something Of a surprise, not to say
shock, in conservative circles in Massa-
chusetts and attracted nationwide interest.
II was said that the pronouncement was
dictated by the Governors political ambi-
tions. by considerations of political expe-
diency To these more or less irrelevant
objections it may be replied that Governor
Mccall Is a man who is in the habit Of
thoroughly studying public questions and is
| quite capable OF arriving at firm convictions
in consequence of such earnest and intel
| ligent study.
Since the publication of Governor Nc
| Cals inaugural message and the introduc-
| tion of House bill No. 1914 by Representa-
tive Young, of Weston, the great body OF
| the Massa chusetts public is learning for the
first time what health insurance is. Serious
study has been stimulated in all quarters
| The State Federation Of Women's Clubs
held conference on health insurance last
week. The State Anti-Tubercuosis Assoc
! citation and various district nursing asso-
Citations have lent their active support TO
the movement aiming at Legislative action
Many local medical societies have strongly
| indorsed the principle of the Young bill
though unqualified approval of all its pro-
visions has usually been withheld The
Boston Chamber OF Commerce has assigned
to special committee the task of studying
the bill and presenting n report Still more
significant is the action OF the State Fedora
tion of Labor in empowering its executive
council to draft health insurance bill.
Health insurance statutes in this country
will undoubtedly follow closely the tenta-
| tive draft prepared by the American Asso-
citation for Labor Legislation. The stand
| ards proposed by the association on the
| basis of European experience and the de-
mands Of effectiveness under American con-
! ditons include Joint contributions by em-
| ployer, cmploye and the state If EN-
! ployers and employees are to have an equal
| share in the administration OF the mutual
| funds their contributions should he equal
| '"rhe share of the state - one-fifth - is
| enough to interest the public in the re-
| suits of the insurance. while it is not so
| large n share of the actual cost that its
withdrawal by an economical legislature
| or executive would fatally cripple the in
surance fund" More weighty, however
| than the argument on the ground Of eX-
| pediency Is the argument on the basis OF
| Justice The State already recognizes its
| duty as a guardian Of the health OF those
| Of its people less able 10 care for them
selves by factory and housing laws by
| free hospitals and dispenSaries. II Is UNI
| questionable that health insurance laws Will
| have the same preventive effect that work.
mems compensation laws have had in re-
| spect to industrial accidents.
Under the insurance plan contributions
are required OF the employc, computed as q
percentage of wages. This percentage, in
the American Associations model draft,
| earning less than So, TO thrty-two per cent
i'm case his earnings are over $S Workers
who object to compulsory insurance be-
cause of its cost do not appreciate the
value Of insurance, or else do not realize
that the cost under State insurance is
much less than under present methods. An
argument that meets these objections on
the score of cost may be drawn from statis-
tics obtained in New York state.
Last year working men and women, in
New York state alone. paid to four insur-
ance companies. operated for profit, more
than S29, 100000 for Industrial insurance,
which virtually amounted to mere burial
benefits Under the plan of universal health
insurance outlined by the Association for
Labor Legislation these working people
would have received. without any greater
expense to them, not only burial insurance,
but also medical, nursing and hospital care
and medicine and appliances. with. In ad-
dition TO all that, two-thirds OF their wages
during sickness up to maximum of twenty
six weeks in each year
Since the remarkable testimony OF Sam
uel Gompers before the Committee OF Labor
Of the national House OF Representatives
last year, when he opposed compulsory
health insurance as an infringement Of the
personal liberties Of the workers, there has
been much Misrepresentation of the atti-
| tude of organized labor toward the legsla-
| tive proposals now under consideration.
| The truth ~ that organized labor Is by no
means unitedly opposed to compulsory health
| insurance. on the contrary the support
| OF organized labor is one Of the strongest
| influences on the growing success OF the
movement.
From physicians comes the objection that
practitioners will suffer by State organiza-
| tion of medical service. This Is not
| serious objection any more than the obJec-
| tion that insurance companies will be hurt.
The great leaders in medicine and surgery
| and health work in this country are virtu-
| ally unanimous in favor of health insurance.