with apologies for cross-posting the following may be
of interest in the context of current discussions
about mutualist alternatives for the British welfare
state
john mohan
****
'Hospital contributory schemes to health cash plans: a
20th century historyof a British institution'
A one-day conference, to be held at the Institute of
Historical Research,Senate House, London, 22nd
October 2003
The theme of this conference is the history of the
hospital contributory scheme movement in 20th century
Britain. It will interest historians
of medicine, health policy, and voluntary sector
institutions.
Consumer choice, decentralisation and empowerment are
at the forefront of health policy-making today. What
can the history of the hospital system tell us about
how these issues were addressed in earlier periods ?
And what can we learn of past examples of popular
participation and workers' activism in
the health field ?
Beginning in the 19th century with workplace
collections in aid of voluntary
hospitals, contributoy schemes developed by the 1930s
into a low-cost, quasi-insurance system. Despite
covering millions of subscribers the schemes were
accorded no place in the tax-financed National Health
Service when it began in 1948. However, many continued
to exist in the post-war period as non-profit health
insurers, occupying a distinctive niche by
providing a mix of benefits to lower-income
contributors
The day will focus on three main themes:
1. Origins of contributory schemes, and patterns of
finance and utilisation before 1939.
2. Their role in the National Health Service debates,
1937-46.
3. The movement's provision of low-cost health
insurance in the era of the NHS.
Speakers and discussants will include John Mohan,
Steven Cherry, Martin
Gorsky, Rodney Lowe, Tim Willis, Graham Moore, Tim
Evans, Ken Purchase MP
For fuller details and a registration form, please go
to:
http://asp.wlv.ac.uk/Level6.asp?UserType=6&Level6=1457
The conference is organised in collaboration with the
London School of
Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and is sponsored by the
Economic and
Social
Research Council and the Society for the Social
History of Medicine
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