Mr. FOOTasked the Minister of Health how many persons there are insured under the National Health Insurance Act; how many of those persons have not selected a panel doctor; what amount of money in respect of such persons not attached to any panel is distributed annually among panel doctors; how many doctors participate in the distribution; and whether there are any statistics showing what work is done or what number of professional attendances are given by the participating doctors in return for the money so distributed?
Sir A. MONDThe number of insured persons in England and Wales entitled to medical benefit is estimated at approximately 13,250,000. The number of names on the lists of insurance practitioners and approved institutions is slightly over 12,800,000. The number of insured persons who have not selected a doctor is on this basis 450,000 or 3i per cent.; but in consequence of the difficulty of keeping any precise record of the movements of the insured population, there is inevitably some inflation in the doctors' lists, and the actual number of un-assigned persons exceeds this figure. But the vast majority of unassigned persons are those who neglect to select a doctor until they are in need of treatment, and who then have a right to immediate treatment although not at the time on any doctor's list. Thus the panel practitioners collectively are at risk in respect of them. The number of insured persons who do not avail themselves of their right to medical benefit when they require treatment is believed to be a relatively insignificant and diminishing fraction. The remainder of the question is based upon a misapprehension. Under the agreement with the doctors there is no such division of the practitioners' fund as the hon. Member suggests. The total sum available in any 53W area is based upon the total number of insured persons for whose treatment, irrespective of the numbers assigned or unassigned, the practitioners in the area are collectively responsible. The available statistics as to the work done by insurance practitioners do hot distinguish between patients who were or were not on the list of a practitioner at the time treatment was given.