[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] Sm,—My attention has been
drawn to the letter of the Rev. H. G. D. Latham in your issue of June 27th on the subject of medical treatment—or perhaps it would be more correct to say hospital treatment—for the middle classes. At present material is not available for the establishment of an insurance scheme, but a step has been taken to meet his sug- gestion by the Committee of Management of K'ing's College Hospital. Subscribers of more than a guinea are entitled to claim, upon becoming in-patients, if their circumstances require it, the deduction from the hospital account of the total of their subscriptions since June 1st, 1920. Under this arrange- ment provision is made for the payment of fees to the Honorary Medical Staff, who have co-operated by authorizing a scale to meet the circumstances of the patients.
The scheme desired by Mr. Latham is possible by arrange- ments for dealing with a body of people. For example, it would be possible to undertake to give hospital treatment to all the clergy of a diocese upon the payment of a sum to cover the whole, or a comparatively small subscripticin from each. The important point to remember, however, under any such scheme, is that patients would only be entitled to benefit when their condition from a medical point of view is such as really to need hospital treatment.—I am, Sir, &c.,
Previous page
