The fourteenth and fifteenth clauses were disposed of in a
long sitting on Wednesday. The former of these raised the question of the terms to be accorded to doctors. 'Sir Philip Magnus moved an amendment to the effect that in the case of persons whose income exceeded £104 a year there should be no medical benefit but that a cash equivalent should be paid to them out of which they should make their own arrangements. Mr. Lloyd George resisted this amendment with energy, and pronounced it to be impracticable, and after a lively discussion it was negatived without a division. As an alternative an amendment was moved by Dr. Addison, which authorized any local health committee to require persons whose income exceeded a limit to be fixed by the committee to make their own arrangements respecting medical attendance. Dr. Addison explained that this would introduce the principle of local option instead of the rigid plan proposed by Sir Philip Magnus. This amendment was carried by 279 votes to 41. In the course of the debate an amendment was moved by Mr. Lloyd George, and agreed to, which provided that an insured person should have the right to select the practitioner he preferred from among a panel of doctors.
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