The role of government in medicine.
ON THE FUNDAMENTAL QUESTION OF HOW FAR A GOVERNMENT SHOULD BE INVOLVED IN HEALTH SERVICES, THE AUTHOR BELIEVES THESE THINGS CAN APPROPRIATELY BE SAID: The government should continue to assume complete control over public health measures, and public health officials could well be permitted to invade medical services insofar as is necessary to achieve public health ends. To assist in the production of medical personnel, it is also fitting for the government to provide for increased teaching facilities, higher salaries for teachers in the medical field and scholarships for worthy students. In the area of insurance and prepayment plans, a really intelligent supervision of such devices, with the exercise of no more arbitrary governmental power than is now used by the various other regulatory commissions, is a suitable governmental function. The government's buying policies for its wards, rather than providing direct medical services for them, should be encouraged. This would give the private practice of medicine a boost and would improve the quality of medical care. Government should encourage the regionalization of medical services with as much of the actual controls exercised at the local level as can be achieved. Private means should be utilized for the provision of these services and public means should be used for their payment when this is an obligation of the government. The problem of mass education in health matters should be tackled by government. It would be a fine thing if the medical profession and governmental agencies could agree upon delineation of their respective roles in the health field. Because further experimentation is needed before the ideal solution is found, both government and organized medicine should encourage the exploration of new approaches.
D006077:Government Agencies; D005102:Health Expenditures; D006801:Humans; D011634:Public Health; D012456:Salaries and Fringe Benefits; D013222:State Medicine
STATE MEDICINE