Evening star., 1946-09-19
Medical Society
Leaders Form
Prepaid Service
20 Are Appointed
To File Application
For incorporation

Medical Service of the District of
Columbia soon will be incorporated
by leaders of the District Medical
Society to offer the public program
to pay certain surgical and medical
bills on the installment plan in ad-
vance
Decision to incorporate the long
discussed service was reached at
meeting at society headquarters last
night.
Twenty "incorporators' were ap-
pointed. They authorized the So
cletys counsel, Warren E. Magee,
to file in the court within a few days
certificate of incorporation.
Leading Doctors Enlisted.
The incorporators, who include
some of the leading doctors of
Washington, will meet soon to elect
a board of II trustees, who. in turn,
will elect officers. Then a confer
ence between officers of the new
Medical Service and Group Hos
pltalization, Inc, will be held on
S1AN PAoDASAl soA ddilllliiStl dUlOll-
The plan is understood to provide
for offering the prepaid plan to the
public through cooperation with
Gkoup disqualification. In this way
subscriber could pay a stipulated
monthly sum to Group Hospitaliza-
ton to build up pool of money.
Patients could select their own
physician from among the doctors
participating in the plan. The doc
tor would receive his fee, or at least
most of it, from the pool of funds.
DR.. William Earl Clark, chairman
of the societys Committee on Medi-
cal Care, presided at the meeting
The plan was submitted by DR..
Frank D. Costenbader, chairman of
the Subcommittee on Prepaid Medi-
cine.
Response Called Excellent.
Response of physicians to the plan
had been excellent, DR.. Costenbadert
reported, saying that up to the time
of the meeting 566 doctors had
signed up as participating physi-
clans. So many more agreed to CO.
operate at the meeting that this
number was estimated by Theodore
Wiprud, secretary of the society. to
have reached about 600 when the
session closed.
The doctors who will offer their
services to patients under the pro-
posed prepayment plan, Mr.. Wiprud
explained. include general practi-
TONERS and every speciality in medi-
cine.
The list of incorporators includes
Drs. Victor A. Alfaro, Joseph B. Bo-
gan. Arthur c. Christie, William
Earl Clark, Milton c. Cobey, Frank
D. Costenbader, Sidney C. Cousins.
Henry L. Darner, Harry F. Bowling,
William T. Gill, jr.; William P.
Herbst, jr., president of the Medical
Society: Raymond T. Holden, oscar
B. Hunter, A. Msgruder Macdonald,
Paul S. Putski, william w. Sager.
Fred r. Sanderson, Maurice A. Sell
niger, Joseph P. Shearer and Donald
Stubbs.
The Board of Trustees will con-
sist of seven members of the Med
ical Society, one from the District
Health Department, two from the
Washington Metropolitan Health
Council and one from the United
States Public Health Service. As
secretary of the Medical Society. !
Mr. Wiprud will be an ex-officio
member of the board.
Salary Limit for Subscribers.
The doctors bills for services Of |.
fereo under the plan will be paid /
In full out of the pool of funds for
single persons earning up to $4,000
a year and for a. family earning up
to s4500. Above those figures the |
physician is given the option of pre-
senting an additional bill for
services.
The services to be offered in the
beginning will include obstetrical /
and surgical care in a hospital sup
plemented by X-ray, laboratory and !
anesthetist services.
Prompt study also is to be made
by the committee on. medical care
as to whether presurgical diagnosis,
prenatal and postnatal care in
obstetrlcal cases, removal of ade-
noids and tonsils by surgeon in
his Office. and certain medical serv- |
ices in hospitals might be included
later.
The monthly dues would be: For
individuals, rs cents a month; man
and wife, $3.50 a month; family in
Guiding dependents under 18, SITS
a month. Also there is to be regis
tration fee of 81. The total amount
OF services rendered under the plan
could not exceed in value $500 a .
year for a single person, s400 for
man and wife, and $500 for a family, !