Mr. Lloyd George devoted a large part of his reply
to the position of doctors under the Bill. He said that the first criticism of the doctors referred to the capitation grant. Some objected to the amount of the grant, some objected to it altogether ; secondly, they said that the capitation included for the first time all bad lives ; thirdly, there was to be no free choice of doctors ; fourthly, they would be under the heel of the friendly societies ; and, fifthly, they objected to the income limit of insured persons. Mr. Lloyd George, in reply to these objections, pointed out that it was not true that the capitation grant was fixed by the Government, or that the amount of the grant was to be fixed by the friendly -society without appeal ; nor was it true that families were included in the grant ; nor that the system of club doctors Was to be universal. All these assumptions were erroneous and had nothing to do with the Bill. Moreover, all the bad lives would be segregated in the Post Office contribution. The Bill was ultimately read a second time without a division,
Previous page
