MEDICAL SCHEME

Wairarapa Times-Age, 17 September 1941, Page 2

MEDICAL SCHEME

AND FRIENDLY SOCIETIES POSITION DISCUSSED BY REPRESENTATIVES. COMMENT ON IMPORTANT POINTS. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. The effect of the proposed State medical scheme, in the event of its becoming law, was discussed by friendly societies’ representatives in Wellington yesterday, vzhen it was stated that nothing could be further from the true position than the impression fostered that such a scheme would mean the end of the friendly societies. It was pointed out that the medical benefit of lodges was only one of a number of benefits. While it was a most important one which lodges would not like to lose, specially in view of the good service that had always been given, lodges could get along without it. A State medic'al service would affect membership of lodges, but not to the extent which had been suggested. It was claimed that the medical service which the lodges had was of the highest standard and had been operating in New Zealand for close on 100 years, for the first lodge to have it in the Dominion would reach its centenary next year. When the Social Security Bill was first before the House several years ago, it was stated, the friendly societies had advocated playing the same role as the societies in England, where the health scheme had operated many years through the lodges whose membership consisted of benefit members —who had the' advantages of other lodge benefits—and State members who were entered as members for the purpose of securing the benefits of the State health scheme. The Government would not, however, consent to this. The total Dominion membership of friendly societies was reported as 100,000, and, with members’ families, who were covered by the benefits, no fewer than 300,000 persons, or a fifth of the population, was represented. This total had had the benefit of first class medical and pharmaceutical service at a cost to each member of approximately £2 a year. . The Government had offered some months ago to refund to friendly societies the medical part of their members’ contributions, but the doctors had informed the societies that if this offer was accepted, lodge doctors would be advised to terminate their I contracts.

In the opinion of the friendly societies, it was stated, had this offer been made possible of acceptance by the consent of the doctors, then a fifth of the population would have been covered by a State service and, with a workable scheme devised to cover that section of the community which could not meet medical bills, it might well have turned out that the present social security legislation would have been unnecessary. It had been suggested that the friendly societies would have been compelled to accept any person as a member in the event of the offer of the Government being accepted, but this was not the position. There were other important benefits in friendly societies besides medical attention and medicine, and the societies were conducted on a strict actual ial basis, taking as members only those who, by reason of their state of health and other circumstances, were unlikely to become undue liabilities on the general body of members. It was stated further that the friendly societies had done all in their power to co-operate with the doctors and overtures had frequently been made that there should be mutual consideration with a view to suiting all interested parties—the public, the medical profession, the Government and the societies. So far the objective of the friendly societies in this direction had come to nothing. They had considered it essential that there be some alternative scheme to what the Bill now proposed, but mutual discussion on such a scheme had not been forthcoming.