COST OF ILLNESS

Shannon News, 18 June 1929, Page 4

COST OF ILLNESS

Iu recent years the United State has made great strides in her charitie and social service work. In the opii ion of some, facilities existing there fo the relief of distress do not compar with those long established in Englftm Nevertheless, the earnest effort an tremendous sums of money devoted • t the work will in time, no doubt, brin the United States to the front rank <i sociological endeavour.

If a serious attempt to bring abou relief in one direction is successfu this epuntry will have shown the wu in filling a long-felt want that is prol ably world-wide. I refer to the ii vestigntion now being conducted int the position of the middle-class ( “white-collar worker” who, as the r|< sponsible head of a family, is sudden) faced with the problem of illness. H

is too proud to make use of the fre clinic—the refuge of the frankly pot man—and quite unable to pay for th services of specialists and private ho pitalsi Thus any considerable ilines more often than not forces him to £ heavily into debt. And then-to repa it he has to restrict his mode of iif and condemn himself to years of dru gery. Seeking a Remedy. The American Medical Associatic has apopinted a committee to make thorough study of and report Upon tl cost of medical care with the specif object of providing some .remedy fc this state of affairs. Invcstigatioi have gone far enough to enable tl committee to determine that a ma with a wife and three children, ar earning £OSO a year, can squeeze oi about £4O for the medical budget, Tl details arc interesting. They are:— £ Medicines 5 Dentist 15 General-medical services . <3 Oculist 4 Tonsillectomy .• .:... 10 The committee has found that at extra medical expense for the averaf family described usually results in re hardship. The addition of another chi means an immediate ’ extra minirnu outlay of £25. It is a lucky faiui that escapes at least one operation the course of a* year. Again, reduce to the minimum, an operation for mt toid, for example, costs:— £ For surgeon ............ 50 Nurse for three days .... 5 Week ‘s hospital bill .... ] 1 For any major operation the su goon’s fee for person’s in modern circumstances is usually £IOO, with, pi portionately' heavy charges for nursii and hospital expenses. ’ "A