Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-02-05
Health Insurance Discussed
by County Medical Society;
State President Speaks

The Dauphin County Medical So
ciety held its monthly meeting last
evening. Upon taking the chair, the
newly-elected president took occasion
to thank the members of the society
for the honor conferred upon him by
electing him president, assuring them
that he would do his utmost for the
success of the society, and with their
cooperation hoped to make this one
of the most successful years in its
history. AS the papers of the evening
dealt with a subject of vital import
ance to all of the medical fraternity,
the regular order of business was dis
pensed with, so as to get right TO
business.
DR.. j. B. McAlister, member of the
Legislative commission, created by the
last Legislature, read the first paper.
His subject was Health Insurance"
and, owing to the fact of his being on
this commission, he was in position
to give the society large amount OF
facts and figures that he hoped would
help the medical fraternity to solve
the problem that it is facing. After
a most careful analysis and thorough
discussion of the enormity of the pro-
ject, on account of large loss involved.
DR.. McAlister deems it proper that
something should be done to alleviate
conditions, and that proper health leg
islation, whereby the public health
would be properly conserved, might
be the best solution.
DR.. I. S. Van Sickle. of Olyphant,
Pa, president of Medical Society OF
Pennsylvania, was the second speaker.
He took for his subject Social lnsur-
ance." especially that phase of it not
covered by the present compensation
law and which deals mostly with the
sickness, etc, of the public.
DIR. Van Sickle has been making n
special study OF sociological medicine
for some time, and he said as sclen-
tifc medicine has had it's opportunity,
now sociological medicine must prove
- worth "a nd Tiphf tO exist. He went
over the main features of health in
surance bills in general, especially
insofar as it would AFFECT medical men.
He reviewed at some length the diff
ference in conditions of the European
countries, where social insurance has
been tried, and our country being
fully convinced that that form of in
surance would not do for us. From q
this insurance was right, and as he
ultimate end to be obeained was the
alienation OF conditions OF the peo-
pie in general, the medical fraternity
was urged to do its best in having
legislation enacted, not inimical to
their interests and that would serve
the purpose better than most of the
health insurance proposed.
The sentiments of the society were
Expressed in a resolution offered by
Drs. Dickinson and Whipple, members
of committee on public health policy,
and after some discussion. it was
unanimously adopted and referred TO
the state committee of allied medi-
cine, which has to do with state lesis-
lation. Drs. Blair, Culp, EllenberSer,
McGowan and others discussed the
different phases of the problem. and
the general feeling was expressed that
inasmuch as so much of health insur-
ance attacked the high ideals of med-
cine and encroached upon the rights
OF physicians, this would unite the
fraternity as nothing else has done for
years.
Drs. Good and Layton were elected
as members OF the society 1t was
agreed to have the Academician print
ed regularly, and, as DR.. Stull, the
newly-elected secretary felt
taht he had too much to do to act al
editor, the president appointed DR. c.
NJ. Fickert as his assistant.