asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he is now in a position to furnish details of the scheme of additional benefits, under the National Health Insurance Acts, approved by him, to have effect from 1st April, 1947, and if he will state the amount allocated for each such benefit, in each of the years during which the scheme will be in operation; and further, whether he will state, in respect of treatment benefits, the proportion of the cost in individual cases which will fall to be borne by the insured person.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - National Health Insurance Benefits.
The benefits provided under the National Health Insurance Society's scheme of additional benefits for the five-year period beginning on the 1st April, 1947, and the amount allocated to each benefit for the first year are as follows:—
|
£ |
|
|
Dental Benefit |
131,000 |
|
Hospital and Convalescent Home Benefit |
130,000 |
|
Optical Benefit |
23,000 |
|
Specialist Medical or Specialist Surgical Treatment |
14,000 |
|
Provision of Medical and Surgical Appliances |
2,000 |
|
TOTAL |
300,000 |
The allocation for subsequent years will be determined as required.
The cost of the benefits is borne as follows:—
Dental Benefit: The scheme provides for the payment by the society for all forms of dental treatment (including extractions and fillings) except prosthetic dentisty (including the provision of dentures, repairs, additions, alterations and remodelling); the cost of prosthetic dentistry is to be shared equally by the society and the insured person according to an approved scale of fees.
The date for the coming into operation of dental benefit has not yet been fixed.
Hospital and Convalescent Home Benefit: No liability for this benefit falls on the insured person unless he elects to enter a private or semi-private ward in which case he is responsible for the amount of the charge in excess of the society's payment.
Optical Benefit: The insured person is not called on to pay any part of the cost of examination and prescription by the ophthalmic surgeon; the society contributes 15/6 towards the cost of spectacles, the insured person being liable for the portion of the cost (if any) in excess of that amount.
Specialist Medical or Specialist Surgical Treatment: The insured person is not liable for any part of the cost of this benefit, the entire liability being undertaken by the society.
Provision of Medical and Surgical Appliances: The society pays twothirds part of the cost of the appliance or its repair the price whereof does not exceed £3, and such portion of the cost of any appliance or its repair the price whereof exceeds £3 as the society may determine.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will state, in respect of each of the last three insurance years: (a) the amount expended on health insurance benefits, including the additional benefits; and (b) the cost of administering the National Health Insurance Society.
The information asked for is as follows:—
(a) The amount expended on health insurance benefits, including the additional benefits:—
|
Year |
£ |
||
|
1944 |
886,690 |
||
|
1945 |
891,412 |
||
|
1946 |
909,272 |
(b) The cost of administering the National Health Insurance Society:—
|
Year |
£ |
||
|
1944 |
141,721 |
||
|
1945 |
141,140 |
||
|
1946 |
168,394 |
Included in the amounts at (b) above are the following sums in respect of the repayments of the loan to the society for payment of compensation to ex-officials of approved societies:—
|
Year |
£ |
||
|
1944 |
7,780 |
||
|
1945 |
3,000 |
||
|
1946 |
27,000 |