§ Mr. YEOasked the Comptroller of the Household, as representing the National Health Insurance Commissioners, whether he is aware that doctors are often not informed that an insured person has become disentitled to medical benefit for many months after the actual date of their becoming so disentitled; whether any steps have been taken to expedite notifications to doctors; whether he is aware that there is an implied contract to pay doctors up to the date of the notice that an insured person is not entitled to medical benefit, and, if so, whether they have in fact been paid in such cases; if not, whether, in cases where owing to failure to notify the doctors medical treatment 464W has been rendered, any system has been-instituted whereby the doctors can, without expense, obtain payment from the persons so treated, having regard to the fact that being of opinion such persons are entitled to medical benefit they have made no charge at the time of giving treatment; and whether the insurance prescriptions issued by the doctors to insured persons believed to be in but in fact out of benefit are paid out of the drug fund?
Mr. ROBERTSI fear it is not possible within the limits of an answer to a Parliamentary question to deal adequately with the hon. Member's several points, which involve the whole of the large question of Health Insurance Finance. The matter has, however, only quite recently been the subject of discussion in detail between the Commissioners and representatives of the medical profession; and I am sending the hon. Member a copy of an explanatory pamphlet which has been prepared at the request of those representatives for the purpose of correcting misapprehensions.