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7 Am. Lab. Legis. Rev. 9 (1917)
The Need for Health Insurance

handle is hein.journals/alablegr7 and id is 15 raw text is: The Need for Health Insurance IRVING FISHER Professor, Political Economy, Yale University In the last six months, through the efforts of the American Association for Labor Legislation, a consciousness of the imperative need in this country for health insurance has dawned upon think- ing Americans. Within another six months it will be a burning question in many states. As Dr. Blue, surgeon general of the United States Public Health Service, has said, it is the next great step in social legislation in this country. At present the United States has the unenviable distinction of being the only great industrial nation without compulsory health insurance. For a generation the enlightened nations of Europe have one after another discussed the idea and followed discussion by adoption. It has constituted an important part of the policy and career of some of Europe's greatest statesmen, including Bis- marck and Lloyd George. Germany showed the way in 1883 under the leadership of Bismarck. This act was the first step in her program of social legislation. Her wonderful industrial pro- gress since that time, her comparative freedom from poverty, reduction in the death rate, advancement in hygiene, and the physi- cal preparedness of her soldiery, are presumably due, in consider- able measure, to health insurance. Following the example of Germany, health insurance was adopted successively by Austria, Hungary, Luxemburg, Norway, Serbia, Great Britain, Russia, Rumania, and Holland. Other coun- tries have adopted a subsidized voluntary system, namely, France, Belgium, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, and Iceland. Thus the only European countries which, like the United States, are without any general system are Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Bulgaria, Albania, Montenegro, and Turkey. Because we have a democratic form of government we 'have peacefully assumed that our civilization is more advanced than

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