New-York tribune., 1919-04-13
The Matured Insurance Bill

The Davenport Donohue health insur-
ance bill as 1T passed the Senate at AL
bany, and which can scarcely now be
throttled in the Assembly, carries
amendments which seem to meet the OBJ
jections raised to it's details.
The local "panels"; of doctors have
been abolished, leaving to the workers
free choice among all legally qualified
physicians. The county medical socie-
ties are given the initiative in determi-
ming fees and are to fix schedule of min
lmum fees to be approved by the Indus.
trial Commission, with more payable for
exceptional service. The head of the
Health Bureau is to be physician, and
arbitration committees, to which any
county medical society may appeal, are
provided for. At the request of the ply
sic;ans the definition of "employe" has
been limited by the exclusion of "officers,
superintendents and managers, agricult-
ural laborers and domestic servants"
The protests of members of the medical
profession thus have been Needed
10 protect employers against excessive
rates, dependents, except in maternity
cases, have been eliminated. reducing the
cost, it is estimated, two- -ifths. Estab-
lishments which have insurance plans
which give protection substantially equal
to the proposed law are exempted from
the act. All employers hiring less
than eight persons are also exempt
Finally, conscientious objectors who are
members of an existing religious sect
whose tenets oppose the practice of medi-
cine may be excluded, on written appli-
cation, from the operation Of the law.
Under the bill as matured the work.
ers in each locality or of any establish
ment sufficiently large. will form a
group and democratically manage it's af-
fairs under the supervision of the Indus
trial Commission. The cost will be divided
between employer and employed. The
charge on the payroll will be not more
than per cent and the worker will con-
tribute about 20 cents a week. If the ILL
ness is attributable to bad living cond-
tons or to the bad personal habits of the
employe the insurance benefit does not
accrue
The rapidity of the progress made by
the health insurance bill when the plan
to smother it broke down is tribute to
the responsiveness of the public to every
practical proposal looking to making life
better and easier for the average person.
The educational work done by Theodore
Roosevelt and men of his ideals is fruit
ing. There is acceptance of the sound
ness of the Roosevelt doctrine: GAS a
people we cannot afford to let any group
of citizens, any individual citizen, live or
labor under conditions which are iniuri-
GUS to the common welfare Industry.
therefore, must submit to such public
regulation as will make it means of
life and health, not of death or ineffi-
ciency"
The wage earners of this state, through
sickness, lose 25,000,00O working days a
year, or an annual loss of $4,000, ,OOO-
enough to meet the state budget. 1nves-
tigation has shown that one-third of
those sick in our cities are without medi-
cal care. More than $4,000 women die
every year in childbirth and 100000
babies die in their first year. Sickness
is the largest single factor in depend
ency, causing seven times as many ap-
peals for relief as do industrial acci-
dents. Trade union and fraternal funds
reach but small portion of the people.
A noble measure is the health insur-
ance bill. 1t is Of more import to the
state than the workmen's compensation
act Not to placate the petty, selfish in
terests of any class should it be defeated.
The members of the Assembly, forget
ting all narrowness and looking singly to
the guardianship of the great things of
which they are trustees, should rejoice
over the chance to do something big. If
they do, few Assemblymen will record
themselves in the negative
-
Furnishing Friends
Should Italy fail to obtain at Paris.
largely thrOuph tho .4+;+,,Jo - H..