Evening star., 1937-04-18
ILLrHEALTH INSURANCE
CALLED NEXT i. S. STEP
Would Save Government Actual Cash
in Other Ways, Observer
Believes.

Key men III some operations. And the
employing class at present digs down
into its pockets every year to help
finance social service agencies, much
OF whose outlay goes to people in dis.
tress because of illness.
Government also could we'll afford to
pay something toward the cost of
health insurance-for Federal, State
and local governments now have to
contribute toward the costs OF illness
among the population. Probably this
governmental contribution amounts to
about 5 per cent OF the total cost Of
illness in the United States. Perhaps
IS per cent more is met by some form
Of private charity. The other 80 per
cent comes from the patients them
selves.
The proposed plans for health in
surance usually allocate the cost
among the workers, the employers and
the Government. An estimate COM
monty used for the cost is 6 per cent
Of wages. OF this, ll2 per cent might
come from Government sources. The
remainder would come from employe
and employer on sliding scale-with
the better paid workers contributing
relatively higher proportion than
the lower paid.
This sum would provide out-of-
work benefits and also payments for
medical care. Thus some of the pres
ent financial burden would be lifted
from workmens compensation and
ovN1p
also from private charity and social
service agencies.
The advantages of health insur-
ance scheme of this nature, say it's
advocates, would be almost incalcu-
liable To understand how much diff
ference would be meant TO the Nation
by adequate medical care open to all,
| the present actualities must be real
lied.
Present Needs Outlined.
A comprehensive survey in l3 COM
munities showed that from 25 to 80
per cent of all serious illnesses get
no medical care. In certain rural
districts in Massachusetts, more than
one-half of all sick people did not
Rochester, N Y, the figure was
almost 40 per cent.
During the war, Al out of every 100
men drafted were found to have some
defect or diseace. In 81 per cent
! of the cases, the condition was serious
enough to keep the draftee out of the
Army. Yet these we're men between
l8 and 3d. who presumably we're
| physically the fitteSt part of the pop
ulation
So it is no wonder that students
of this subject estimate that a very
large number of the deaths every year
in the United States are considerably
| premature. The economic loss alone
Of these premature deaths is esti-
mated at about $4,000 900 900 an.
nually.
/ In a normal year the Nation spends
about $4,000 100000 for medical care.
! This sum equals about 4 per cent Of
the total national income received.
Some of it would have been unneces-
sary if better medical care had been
available in previous years. Some of
it would be spent to better advantage
today if, again, more had been spent
in previous years.
Might Be Good Investment.
! So it would seem that health In
/ surance, like other forms of insurance,
might be a good investment finan-
cially as well as socially. Not only
is an ounce of prevention worth a
pound of cure, but also it costs less.
1t must be admitted that Govern
ment health insurance is opposed by
most medical associate They OBJ
/ ject because they believe all medical
I service should be controlled by the
medical profession; that no third party
should intervene between doctor and
patient; that all medical costs should
/ be paid by the patient according to his
| income status, that patients should
be quite free to choose their own
doctor, etc, etc.
| Some doctors, however, go along
with advocates of health insurance in
holding that, although some of these
objections are Well-founded. they could
be met partially or wholly by health
insurance system properly organized
and well administered
Some doctors believe, furthermore,
that health insurance would prove a
bulwark against the growing move
ment for State medicine. Those doc
tors hold that free medical service
by the Government will inevitably
come about unless health insurance
allows the lowest income groups to
get the medical care which they sadly
need and which in all too many cases
they do not now receive.
CCopyright, 1881