Evening star., 1947-01-08
prepaidDoctors'
Care Plan Slated
In Few Months
Group disqualification
Decides to Adopt
New Service Here
By Miriom Gutenberg


start of plan under which WASH
ngton area residents will be able to
pay their surgeons and obstetri-
clans bills in advance through
premiums. Getting the
plan in operation, however, is ex-
,ected to take several months.
The system of paying in advance
Tor medical service, just as >neariy
300, 900 Washington residents are
now paying for hospital service, was
given the go-ahead signal yester-
iay when the Board of Trustees OF
Group disqualification, Inc, agreed
to handle the business end OF the
plan.
The program, known as Medical
of the District of Columbia,
was worked out by District Medi-
cal Society committee and is pat
termed after similar plans now rap
idly growing throughout the coun-
try.
disqualification for Students.
The CHI board at its session yes
terday also:
l. Agreed to include groups OF
college and university students
among its disqualification subscrib-
deviating from its rule
of accepting only employed groups.
2. Voted to pay 100000 imme-
diately to its is member hospitals
while it continues to study the
hospitals request for increased pay
ments for disqualification OF CHI
subscribers.
Joseph H. Hines, CHI president,
said decision on increased pay
ments to hospitals would not be
made for several weeks and will be
announced at the same time as CHI
makes public it's new contracts with
subscribers. The subscriber con-
tracts, he said, will provide SUBJ
stantial added benefits" as well as q
probable increase in premium rates
to compensate for higher payments
to the hospitals.
AS for the medical service plan,
Mr.. Hines said CHI will solicit sub
scribers, collect their payments and
pay the participating doctors-run-
ming the business end, while the
medical group provides doctors
services.
Groups to Be Accepted.
Subscribers to the medical service
will be accepted in groups, just as
they are now accepted for hospitali-
zation, and at the start of the pro-
gram only subscribers to, CHI will
be accepted, Mr.. Hines said.
Informed of the CHI action, Theo-
dore Wiprud, executive secretary Of
the District Medical Society, said
he was happy to hear it and added:
"This is the start we needed to go
ahead" Both Mr.. Wiprud and Mr..
Hines agreed the plan would take
several months to work out in de-
Mr.. Hines said he was conf1dant OF
GHI's ability to introduce and de-
velop the new medical service pro-
gram here since such large num-
ber of Washington area residents
have already demonstrated their
"i1ealth-mindedness" by subscribing
to group disqualification.
To begin with, the program will
be limited to surgical, obstetrical,
x-ray, laboratory and anesthetists'
services in the hospitals. Later,
officers of the new Medical Services
of the District of Columbia hope to
broaden the plan to include dag
nosis before surgery, prenatal and
postnatal care, as well as medical
service in the hospitals.
Free Choice Plan.
Participating physicians will have
a free choice Of patients among sub
scribers to the service, and patients
will have free choice of participate
ing doctors.
Mr.. Wiprud estimated rs per cent
of the medical profession here even-
tually will participate in the plan.
About 500 doctors, including out
standing specialists, already have
indicated their willingness to join
the program, he said.
For the first 10 months after o
subscriber joins the program, OBJ
stretrical service will not be pro-
vided, nor will operations that could
be performed at any time. Among
these are operations to remove
tonsils and adenoids and operations
on hernias and hemorrhoids.
Also excluded under the plan are
treatment for conditions known to
have existed when the subscriber
applied for membership and medical
service available without cost under
workmen's compensation laws.
Subscribers dues, Mr.. Wiprud said,
now are being restudied because
additional services have been added
to the original plan. When last an
nounced, however, they were rs cents
a month for a single person. $l.50
for a husband and wife and SITS
a month for husband, wife and
children under Is.
Up to $500 for Family.
In return for the monthly pre-
miums, the individual would get $500
worth of service annually. the hus-
band and wife would get $400 and
the family would get $500.
Officers of the new Medical Serv-
ices include DR.. Frank D. Costen-
bader, president; DR.. w. Warren
Sager, vice-president; DR.. G. Halsey
Hunt, second vice president; Mr..
Wiprud, secretary, and Howard
Strong, treasurer.
Mr.. Wiprud also announced today
the Board of Trustees of the new
group, including DR.. Costenbader,
Dr., Harry F. Dowling, DR.. William
P. Herbst, jr; DR.. Raymond T.
Holden, DR.. Hunt, w. Pierce Mac
Coy, District Health Officer George
c. Ruhland, Dr. Sager, DR.. Maurice
A. Selinger, Mr.. Strong and Mr..
Wiprud, acting ex-offlcio. DR.. Hunt
represents the Public Health Service,
and Mr.. MacCoy and Mr.. Strong
were selected by the Washington
Metropolitan Health Council