NATIONAL HEALTH INSURANCE.

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 156, 20 July 1937, Page 4

NATIONAL HEALTH INSURANCE.

As is pretty generally known, the Government. some good few months ago set up a committee of investigation wliose duty it was to eollect and collate data ahd information that would he useful in shaping the National Health Insurance scheme which the Government proposes submitting to Parliament during its session expected to open next month. That committee, early in the year, approached the New Zealand branch of the British Medical Association with a request to submit such suggestions as-it might consider helpful in framing the necessary legislation. This the Asociation has now done in the form of a pamphlet, from which we publish some extracts to-day. The ruling note of the recommendations offered is that, with a View to soundness in foundation and permanence in operation, the initi'ation of the scheme sbould be undertaken with all due eaution and cjrcumspection, having regard to what is really practicable as well as to what may be soeially desirable. Thus the pamphlet prefaces its suggestions as follows : — This Association has already urged, and still maintains, that improvement in the health service of the community should be of an evolutionary chai-acter, based on actual experience, xather than that nntried methods of unpredictable effect should be hastily introduced. In particular, the earliest improvement attempted should be in the direction of giving necessary service as fully as possible to those who are unable to provide for themselves. In the light of experience further improvement and extension may be made as needs 'appear and means become available.' ' It is with this introduction, followed by further comment along like lines, that the Association proceeds to formulate its/ suggestions, of which the main and vital sections are reproduced in the abstract given elsewhere to-day. These indicate a progressive applioation of the plan dictated by a prudence that may perhaps not appeal to a Government which, to use the Prime Minister's own words last November, wants to see its scheihe become "the biggest thing on earth," but, at that time at any rate, seemed to have but the haziest idea as to how the scheme was to he financed. When, then questioned on this aspect, Mr. Savage had, to admit that he had no very clear views upon it, contenting himself with saving, with no very great apparent relevance, that "the money power which got in the way had got to get out of the way," and that as soon as plans could be provided for doing the necessary work, it would be done." However, since then Mr. Savage will no doubt have found occasion to bethink him that, after all, a sound method of finance really lies at the very root of the scheme if it is to be a lasting success and not a very serious ultimate failure that will leave us only in worse plight than at present, particularly with xespect to those who are unfortunate enougli to be most in need of assistance. When discussing the scheme after Parliament went into recess towards the end of last year Mr. Savage said that "so long as the people stood behind the Government it would carry out its policy.5> He need have little apprehension as to his having very general popular support for it so long as it is given a shape that appeals to the intelligent mind as being practicable and permanent. It is rather unfortunate for us, however, that we have a Government which seems to be obsessed with the idea of "showing the world" the way rather than of devising plans suitable to our own conditions and resources and capable of development and expansion as population increases. The rest of creation may very well, in such a respect, be left to work out its own salvation in its own several ways. Even by way of shining example it would seem necessary to produce something that will stand the test of time. The people of this little country will, Mr. Savage may feel well assured, be quite fully satisfied with something that will meet their own requirements, present and prospective, and to leave the leadership of the world to those who have some little more intimate knowledge of its many complex problems and, possibly, some greater qualification and capacity for solving them aright. In any event the wholly admirable proposal to establish at national plan of hea.tlh insurance rnerits very much more consideration and deliberatron than has been given to most of the present Government's legislation, and the sooner its scheme is submitted to the public that is to be affected by it the better chance it has of eventually assuming an accepetable and workable form.