Mutualism and Health Care: Hospital Contributory Schemes in Twentieth-century Britain
Martin Gorsky, John Mohan, and Tim Willis
Abstract
This book presents a comprehensive account of a major innovation in hospital funding before the NHS. The voluntary hospitals, which provided the bulk of Britain’s acute hospital services, diversified their financial base by establishing hospital contributory schemes. Through these, working people subscribed small, regular amounts to their local hospitals, in return for which they were eligible for free hospital care. The book evaluates the extent to which the schemes were successful in achieving comprehensive coverage of the population, funding hospital services, and broadening opportunities f ... More
Keywords: hospital funding, voluntary hospitals, acute hospital services, hospital contributory schemes, free hospital care, health care governance, post-war NHS, mass contribution, health cash plans, mutualism
Bibliographic Information
| Print publication date: 2006 | Print ISBN-13: 9780719065781 |
| Published to Manchester Scholarship Online: July 2012 | DOI:10.7228/manchester/9780719065781.001.0001 |
