Evening star., 1932-05-01
FINANCE SYSTEM
PUZZLES DOCTORS
Deferred Payment and
Health Insurance Plans Sug-
uested to Medical Societies.

Special Dispatch to The Star
CHICAGO, April 30.-The perennially
interest provoking subject of medical
costs has commanded the attention OF
medical societies meeting here this
week, producing more than the usual
quota of candor and practical sugges-
tions.
AS a result Of straitened circum-
stances among this country's vast mid
die class population, physicians and
hospitals admit new difficulties to be
overcome in securing adequate income
for individual practitioners and for in
stttutionS. The situation suggests to
many in the profession the not distant
prospect of compulsory health insur-
ance In the United States and whole
new system Of financing illness.
Free Service Increased.
A glari1g, example of what is hap
pening over the country on smaller
scale was provided for the doctors by
the Provident Hospital, which cares for
colored people on Chicagos South Side.
During the past 18 months this tnstitu-
tons out-patient, or free-dispensary
service has seen its list of patients grow
from an average of 5000 to $1,000 a
year-an increase of / 800 per cent. At
the same time there are estimated to
be an average of $4,000 empty hospital
beds In the country.
The American citizen desires to be
self supporting although he may tenn
porarily find himself without funds in
these times" said DR.. r. G. Leland,
director Of the Bureau of Medical Eco
nomics Of the American Medical Asso-
ciation.
Free Service Difficulty.
"He hesitates to ask for free service,
and physicians may well consider
whether the interests of the public and
the profession will not be conserved best
by continuing care for this class of pa
tients, temporarily financially embar-
rassed, on some deferred payment plan
rather than force them to accept free
service. Once the public is educated to
free medical care, it becomes problem
atical whether it will revert to the pri-
vate practicing physician when it shall
again attain paying status"
Possibilities Of financing on moder-
ate price basis was shown in report
on maternity cases In hospitals, which
increased so per cent in the past three
years owing to introduction of Install
ment plans for payment of costs and a
graduated scale Of fees.
Health Insurance Urged.
Or. Nathan Sinai Of the University of
Michigan urged the profession to take
an active interest in formation Of
plans for compulsory health insurance,
now in force in nearly all European
countries.
Political, economic and social con-
siderationS which precede the enactment
of health-insurance laws in all leading
European countries now exist in the
United States" he said. Since about
20 per cent Of the sick in this country
do not receive adequate care, some form
OF insurance Is almost certain to be
adopted to provide for them.
Whatever the method adopted, the
medical profession should take the lead
In formulating the policies of such a
system. In this way conflicts that arose
in the administration of health insur-
ance plans abroad may be avoided"
Cult HeaIers Popular.
Point was made of the fact that
under compulsory health insurance the
doctors income averages as high If not
higher than under the present indi-
vidualistic system. Professional per-
Sonnel is utilized more intensively and
there is not the same struggle during
the years before firm practice Is es-
tabliShed.
Another matter that concerns doc
tors is the large volume Of business
which now goes to cult healers. A study
made for the Committee on Costs of
Medical Care showed $4,000 cult healers
In the country, who are paid approx
mately SIPS, ,000, 900 year for their serv-
ices. The number of these healers
equals one-fourth Of the licensed medi-
cal profession.
Copyright, 1e870